I've Come To Need You
by 7thtreasure
Summary: "Contract". An agreement entered into voluntarily by two or more parties. It shouldn't have been anything more than that but something had already bloomed long before a couple of papers said it existed. It just took a little time realizing that. A story about friendship and discovering something so much more in another person's kindness.
1. Chapter 1

**See the end of the chapter for author notes.**

**(Read in 3/4 format because I love seeing it that way)**

* * *

****Chapter 1

A New Acquaintance

* * *

Those eyes, Ryuuichi's almond green eyes, look at him in a way Hayato cannot yet put a name to though he knows what the gaze is not.

There is no fear or prejudice so often found in the eyes of those who barely know him. There is no reluctant hero-worship he's amusingly seen in Taka's. It's not the closed off stare he sees so constantly on his father's face, but the way Ryuuichi looks at him is just as unreadable.

Funny thing is, though the look had struck him as unnerving at first, Hayato likes it and at least the reason why he likes it is easier to analyze.

It makes him feel like Ryuuichi can _see_ him.

No judgment, no caution, no malice, no instant adoration or signs of infatuation, no flirtation, no badly hidden hate, just forest-floor green eyes looking at Hayato, truly _looking_, he thinks.

What does it say about his life, his upbringing to become a powerful man, when he finds relief, a sort of 'freed'-like feeling, in that gaze, that gaze nobody in his life so far has ever looked at him with?

Little did he know that some time in a future where his life got just a little bit more complicated, he would look back at the moment he first realized Kashima Ryuuichi was _different_ and wishfully think he should be allowed to hit his past self for considering that the tightening in his chest the moment those eyes turned to him was strictly from stress and caused by nothing else.

* * *

The dark haired man heaved a sigh, using a free hand to loosen the knot of his tie. He slumped down onto a large extravagant black leather swivel chair, leaning back to relish in the comfort. He'd spent one-too-many nights on it to know accidentally falling asleep on it was not worth the crick in his neck he'd feel when he woke up so he forced his mind to stay alert despite the exhaustion.

He kicked back, turning the chair to face the view of what was mostly the east side of the city, bright lights piercing the night, through the floor-to-ceiling glass that functioned as both windows and walls to his office. Though he'd shut the lights off, his office was bathed in a pale luminescence that seeped in from the city through the glass.

Hebihara Conglomerate's main building was arguably the tallest skyscraper in the bustling city of Tokyo, rivaling the lavish Morinomiya Corporation's 'Academy', a behemoth of a building and an architectural masterpiece that was given its nickname by the late heir of the Morinomiya family.

Where the Hebihara family and founders of the company that soon expanded into the largest conglomerate in all of Asia fought tooth and nail to acquire and build their headquarters closest to the center of the city as possible, Morinomiya Corporation itself stood in the area of what used to be the city's main business center centuries ago before the city itself expanded and the center of it had shifted.

Hayato's dark gaze tracked a moving light in the sky, an airplane flying low enough for its light to be seen, blinking as it flew out of view. After working up the corporate ladder with a determination unrivaled, he'd finally gotten the position of CEO, the youngest Hebihara empire has ever seen since the two directors in the early '70s when the company had just started up and university degrees weren't a must for booming businesses. Being a CEO had its perks; a coveted office at the top floor was only one of them.

Many had seen him work, experienced working with him on hundreds of projects, resulting in those who had little doubt on his abilities, those who feared, admired, and respected him, but still there were those who questioned how he got the position of CEO at the young age of 26 with extreme ease. Prejudice and assumptions were to be expected.

He was the son of Hebihara Taizou, both the current chairman of the company and head of the Hebihara family, and although born out of wedlock and carrying his mother's name, Kamitani, he had grown up in a privileged household, was given the best education, had used whatever advantage he had in connections and whatnot to get to the position he was in.

Hayato shifted in his seat as his mobile phone buzzed where he had laid it on the table. Only a few had his personal number but none of them he cared to have a conversation with at the moment so he ignored it in favor of losing himself in his thoughts.

Contrary to what many believed, he wasn't a robot, and he'd had a pretty shitty day so he believed he was very much entitled to a break after having spent 10 grueling hours hustling a smaller company they were planning to buy out with terms both parties found reasonable.

If the company they were planning to take had been any smaller than what it was, Hayato wouldn't have been expected to show up and accompany the officers in charge of mergers and the company lawyers.

Unfortunately his father had called him personally to oversee the deal, so Hayato had ended up pretty much glaring their new subsidiary into submission when the meeting had gone well past his patience.

He had a lot of patience, he believed. Kamitani Taka was his younger brother, for fuck's sake.

The buzzing continued and so did his ignoring it.

"Inomata" kept flashing on the screen, which merited little interest for now, though he was a bit curious as to why his half-sister was calling at the late hour.

He wasn't all that surprised when his secretary called a warning through the speaker-phone before a dark haired woman burst into his office, shoulders stiff, and although her hair was rarely out of a severe bun since she graduated high school, it lay streaming around her, not at all diminishing the ferocity of her scowl or the glare she shot from across the room just as Hayato turned in his seat to watch her enter.

He blinked a few times as the lights were turned on, the shadows retreating from the sprawling office exposing lavish furniture, any of which costed to about a cubicle in the lower offices, the wall that separated his office from the rest of the floor was solid concrete, white washed with soft gradient cream to give it texture and modern styled furniture mixed tastefully with a few warmer looking pieces that gave life to the room.

Inomata stood at the doorway before stepping in, the dark wood double-doors shutting behind her with a click. She was in her usual suit, a pristine grey blazer and matching pencil skirt adding to her stern look, phone in one hand. She had delicate features, almost hawkish with too-big eyes, but it only added to the severity of her aura.

"Kamitani." she bit out as a greeting.

She rarely called him by his first name since they'd officially met at a family gathering when they were both five years of age where he'd been introduced as her half-brother, the illegitimate child of Hebihara Taizou and Kamitani Shizuka. Hayato had called her 'loud' and she'd hated him ever since.

"Inomata." he returned coolly.

"I've been calling you for the past hour, you jerk."

The words were grit out, accusing.

"What are you doing here?"

He never was one to beat around the bush and he could trust her to take his bluntness in stride, herself preferring talking straight.

"_Father_ sent me to fetch your stubborn ass when you kept ignoring his previous _invitations_."

"..."

She snarled out a frustrated sound before crossing the room, slamming both palms down on his desk, face red and eyes glaring.

"The family will be having dinner at the main house this weekend, three days from now, and he-_we_ are inviting Taka-kun and yourself since father would like to see how you two have been doing."

She averted her eyes to glare at the phone on his desk, as if it offended her, when she said the later part of the reason of the invitation through gritted teeth.

"And his agenda...?" he prompted.

"There _is_ no agenda! He-"

He glared at her, shutting her up immediately.

Lying was never tolerated, not to his face anyway. She knew better.

She huffed, deflating but still putting on a defiant face as she stood to cross her arms across her chest, still averting her eyes.

"Inui will be coming." she muttered, her jaw clenching.

"..." he stayed silent, knowing that wasn't all she had to say.

"And Morinomiya Youko has also been invited; any family she decides to bring will also be welcome."

Inomata's face looked a bit strained as she said her part. The new information made Hayato raise his brow in surprise.

Taizou wasn't exactly a family man, his almost non-presence in Hayato's and Taka's life as evidence to the fact, although Taka still wasn't acknowledged by the main family as being Taizou's son due to the more or less decade gap between the siblings. Hayato was pretty sure Taka was no other man's son since his mother never did move on.

Inviting the Morinomiya's, their father definitely had an agenda, Hayato thought grimly.

The Hebihara family was pretty messed up. And although already recognized as a powerful and wealthy family, having a few members in politics and others scattered around in different industries, they were still considered new money compared to the Morinomiya's.

The Morinomiya household was an ancient one, dating back to the early settling of Tokyo as the nation's new capital. They followed a strange tradition of adopting new blood into the family when the heir had no children of their own, so those with the real Morinomiya blood could never be pinpointed and the title of 'heir' did not follow strictly the order of birth but the judgment of whoever was entitled to choose an heir instead.

It was whispered that the Hebihara family would be following this tradition since Hayato looked to be the most promising choice for an heir.

Inui was older but was known for his philandering and reputation as a formidable name in the entertainment business worldwide while Hayato pursued the family business.

Hayato himself doubted that his father would stray from the late Hebihara's head's wishes. Hayato had never known his grandparents on his father's side, also on his mother's side since they'd died before he was born, but he believed whoever thought it a good idea to marry off his deceased first child's wife, already with child, to the younger brother was a crazy old coot.

"I-I think father is planning for an arranged marriage."

It was not surprising since arranged marriages seemed to be a legacy of their family but Hayato felt pity nonetheless as a new expression crossed his sister's face.

She was the most likely candidate for marriage, already 26 and still no paramours, and one of the few female lawyers recognized nationally due to amazing skill alone and as far as he knew, Morinomiya had adopted two boys, one around their own age and another around Taka's age.

After a few more minutes of awkward silence, neither of them finding nothing else to talk about, clearing her throat, Inomata left quietly, leaving Hayato, once again, alone to his thoughts.

The late Hebihara-sama had only two sons to his name, the first being Takato and the second being Taizou. Takato was heir to both the company and the next head of the family, and had married a young woman named Yasumi by way of arranged marriage, Yasumi coming from a powerful and old-money family back then.

She was in the midst of carrying their first child when Takato was killed in an accident. Since Hebihara-sama still wanted to tie Yasumi's family to his own, the child's gender still unknown, he'd arranged Taizou and Yasumi to be married only a few months before the child's due date.

Taizou was, at that time, in a relationship with his college sweetheart, Kamitani Shizuka and had already made plans of marrying her but he'd chosen to do as his father willed and married Yasumi instead. The wedding took place a month after Yasumi gave birth and a day before he'd found out Shizuka was already a few weeks pregnant with his child.

The family had already recognized Shizuka as Taizou's intended wife but there had still been uproar when Hayato was born not more than a year after Inui, Yasumi and Takato's son and heir apparent.

Many did not want Hayato recognized as Taizou's son, a possible contender for heir, but Taizou had insisted and even Yasumi had been supportive.

Inomata was born a few months later after Hayato, the result of the consummation of Taizou and Yasumi's marriage, with Yasumi dying in childbirth, her body unable to keep with the two consecutive pregnancies and the loss of Takato whom she'd come to love.

Shizuka had eventually been roped in with the care of Inomata while weaning Hayato off breast milk but she'd left the Hebihara household as soon as Inomata too had been weaned, unable to live with the condemning looks from the other members of the household.

When Hebihara-sama too had passed, Taizou, now head of the family, had tried to restore his and Shizuka's relationship. They'd tried it for a few months before ending their relationship, having grown too far apart; too different from when they'd first gotten together. Later that year, Taka had been born.

Hayato's mother was a successful woman with her own career but he knew that the large amount of shares Shizuka had in the company itself had more than helped in raising him and Taka, not to mention the trust fund he'd already been able to access that he knew his mother would never have been able to afford for him and the ease at which whatever application he partook in was always, always accepted.

His father had a hand in his and Taka's upbringing but it's not like he didn't expected Taka, despite the idiot that he was, to finally figure out their connection to the Hebihara family.

Hayato's younger brother had been in elementary school, a private school for elite families, one which Hayato too had attended, when he'd learned of Hayato's position, who at that time was considered a prodigy and one of the country's most promising university students. Taka had also learned the condemnation many of the elite families had for Hayato, who had already beaten many of other families' heirs who prided themselves of their blood and ancestry.

It wasn't like Shizuka could protect her sons forever from the whispers, and Hayato had already taken the brunt of it in stride when he reached middle-school and had already formed his own clique of successful genius people who had no family roots to rely on or were results of scandals themselves.

Taka had been a bit slower in hardening his shell, always the emotive one who found it difficult to control his feelings and expressions but he'd managed, already in high-school with an easy and brash attitude who'd surrounded himself with true and unprejudiced friends, for which Hayato was silently grateful for.

Hayato grabbed his personal phone, ignoring the messages from his father knowing that if it was about business, the old man would've contacted him formally through Hayato's other number set for business matters.

He checked a few from his mother, replying quickly and informing her about the dinner as lightly as possible, before sending a text to his brother to leave his weekend free. He then arranged for his own schedule for the weekend through the direct line to his secretary.

His business phone lit up, a new message showing on the screen.

_"We're still on for tonight, right? My shoot ends at 11pm. 3"_

Hayato hummed a short sound of approval, sending a quick affirmative before slipping his phone away. At least the night wasn't going to end so badly, though his latest booty call was starting to get a bit too clingy for his liking.

His relationships rarely lasted more than a year, many of the women he dated unable to cope with his lack of affection or expression so he had taken to preferring casual relations than actually putting up with the troublesome qualities of commitment.

Taizou never really did approve of Hayato's style of casually dating women, most of which were models or just famous idols or actresses, making himself into one of the country's most eligible bachelors despite turning down numerous omeais his father arranged with suitable young daughters of different powerful men.

It's not like his father could complain anyway since Hayato had been good for the company, raking in billions, and so had only remained silently disapproving.

He had never disobeyed his father outright but Hayato felt something close to foreboding when he thought about the _family_ dinner.

Though his father too preferred the straightway of things, he was still a business man and wasn't above plotting just for the sake of the company. Dinner with the Morinomiya's was going to be interesting.

* * *

Slender hands patted down stiffly at coat pockets, searching for car keys. Ryuu made a triumphant sound after finally finding them, his hands already shivering from the cold, breath misting in small white puffs as his cheeks stung, whipped red from the icy wind, the collar of his winter coat hiked up high but not enough to cover his ears.

Saikawa-san had reminded him earlier to take his gloves and scarf with him, but in his hurry to meet the contractors earlier that day, he'd left them in the car. He fumbled a few times with the keys before it slotted in, turning as a resounding click of the locks met Ryuu's ears. He ducked inside to grab them from the glove compartment, smiling to himself as he found a pocket warmer Saikawa-san had undoubtedly put there.

He pushed back out onto the sidewalk, shutting the car door behind him, wrapping the scarf around his neck, thick and perfectly soft, as he slipped his gloved hands and the pocket warmer into his coat, sighing in relief at the warmth.

It had stopped snowing less than a week ago but the air remained too chilly for winter to be truly over. He leaned back against his car, the thick material of his coat preventing the cold from seeping in, staring up at the new four-story building that was set to open on the week's end.

The pre-opening celebrations were over, already well past midnight, and he'd managed to break away from the group, walking back alone from the family restaurant to his car where he'd parked it earlier that day.

He'd gone over the refurbishments and renovations one last time with the contractors, checking and re-checking that everything was 'A'-okay for the opening day, after which he'd thanked the workers profusely, congratulating them all on a job well done.

He couldn't help the smile on his face, turning a bit flushed as he remembered the advances from one of the architects, a man, then one from the couple of budgeting consultants, a woman, who'd gone along, advances which he'd turned down politely during the celebratory party.

He wasn't much for drinking or partying but he was a bit freer with his time socializing, catching up with friends, meeting new people he was going to start working with, now that Kotarou was in high school and didn't need his constant presence.

It was a bit lonely though, Ryuu could admit, not being constantly needed by his baby brother anymore, though Obaa-san had quickly reprimanded him for not acting his age, always thinking and worrying about things he needn't to anymore.

Three days from now (or was it two since it was already 1:30am?) Morinomiya's Sunshine Building would be open for business. Well, he didn't really think it was business. Obaa-san had been extremely generous when Ryuuichi had voiced his desire to work for the division of the company dedicated to its social-responsibilities and charitable works.

She'd instated him immediately as department head right after his graduation, batting away his entreaties to start as just an employee instead, saying he was better suited for the job than she was anyway, her having held the position temporarily since her daughter-in-law's death, the late Mrs. Morinomiya having been the division's founder.

His phone buzzed in his pocket, causing him to fumble a bit with his gloved hand and the 'answer' slide.

"Um, hello? Saikawa-san?"

_"Good morning, Ryuuichi-sama. I hope I'm not interrupting anything though I hope you're wearing underwear while answering the phone."_

"Wh-what?! No, uh, no you haven't interrupted anything."

For all the years he'd known Obaa-san's secretary-slash-butler-slash-all around go-to guy, Ryuu, for the life of him, still could not get the strange man's humor.

_"Still, bothering you at this hour is still considered a nuisance but the Chairman has asked that I inform you of a semi-formal dinner we will be attending the night after the Sunshine Branch's opening at the Hebihara household's main compound."_

"Oh, alright. I suppose we can move the charity dinner party next week. I'm on my way home and might be there around 2am. Please make sure Kotarou is already in bed. He has class tomorrow and I don't want him to sleep in."

_"Yes, of course. I shall make the re-arrangements with the event coordinators. The chairman also says that if you are with anybody and wish to spend the night, there is no need to hurry back. Kotarou-sama is safe and the chairman would like you to find a lover soon, especially at your glorious age of 26. Good night, Ryuuichi-sama, or should I say good morning. I shall wait for your arrival."_

"G-good, er, night too, Saikawa-san. No need to wait for me, I know the new security codes. See you at dawn."

Ryuu sighed as he cut the connection. Obaa-san had taken to reminding him of looking for a lover almost daily whenever they were able to meet in person and when the other wasn't so busy. He understood why though.

Saikawa-san had told him about the late Mr. Morinomiya who'd married at a fairly late age and was only able to spend barely a decade with his wife before the plane crash that took their and Ryuu's parents lives.

Obaa-san wanted him to find happiness as fast as possible and to enjoy it as long as possible even though he'd assured her he was perfectly content and happy with how things were at home. He ended up enduring a lecture about the merits of falling in love and how different it was from familial love.

Ryuu sighed again, rubbing his hands together despite having slipped back on his gloves.

It's not that he wasn't inexperienced with romantic relationships. He'd had three serious ones since high-school, the latest one he was so sure he was going to marry. Thinking about them made him a bit sad though.

Every last one of his relationships all ended the same way.

He'd believed everything perfectly okay until one day his girlfriend would say they needed to 'talk' which usually resulted in them crying and saying sorry, that it wasn't his fault, that it just didn't seem like he wanted the relationship as much as they did, that he wasn't passionate enough, that the chairman didn't approve, that he cared too much like a relative and not a lover, that Kotarou always came first and they came second, and he always _always_, although just as heartbroken by the break-up, always ended up being the one to comfort them until they parted ways.

He always ended up crying a bit about it alone, especially after his latest relationship three years ago, where he had been so sure he was ready to ask her if they could find a place for them together. Still having Kotarou and Obaa-san and Saikawa-san helped a lot though, and so he was content and wasn't too eager to find someone just yet, though he was positive there was someone out there who could accept him and all that came with it.

Kotarou and the Chairman were part of the package deal.

Just as he was about to re-enter his car, movement from the sidewalk caught his eye, causing him to pause and turn.

Their new building was on one of the many busy streets of Tokyo but as far as he knew, most of the surrounding buildings held offices for smaller scale companies who rented floors, agencies and small firms, if Ryuu was right. The street was mostly deserted but for him due to the late hour. Only the building to his right had some lights still on.

The Sunshine Building was a simple but beautiful architectural piece despite being only four-story tall and stood snuggly between two taller commercial buildings. Their street was one mainly for business and he and his companions earlier that night had to walk a considerable distance to the nearest family restaurant so it was a surprise to see a night-life scene erupt just a few yards away.

Two men who looked to be fighting burst out the glass doors of the building to his right, a frantic woman pleading for them to stop. He knew it wasn't any of his business but he stepped closer anyway and saw the fight looked almost one-sided.

One man, the taller one stood farthest from the building, his back to the road, coolly eyeing the infuriated man infront of him, the shorter one waving his arms aggressively while the woman begged for him to stop while tugging at the back of his shirt.

"You _bastard_! How dare you take another man's woman?! Ami-chan is dating me!"

The smaller man was still struggling from the woman's grip, face contorted in anger as he continued to snarl and cuss at the taller man with dark hair.

"Yuhi, please! It wasn't his fault! I-I was going to tell you!"

Ryuu saw the hit coming as the man gave a fresh shout of anger and whirled about on the girl. He gave warning but before he could even make a step towards the scene, the smaller man was already on the ground, crying out in pain as the arm he was about to swing at the woman was twisted painfully behind his back, the taller man having took action as he ground a knee onto the other's back, earning him a fresh cry of pain.

A sickening pop was heard before the taller man let off and stood up, a cool expression on his face, not even winded by the exertion. His eyes, Ryuu finally noticed, were sharp and observant, turning to Ryuu, surprising him.

Ryuu stood awkwardly, bent forward in mid run, before he straightened himself, feeling his face heat in embarrassment.

He belatedly noticed the woman and the injured man shuffle away. Only until the taller man broke their gaze, eyes flitting after the retreating couple, did Ryuu realize he was holding his breath while returning the other man's scrutiny.

He was about to say something when the other man trained his eyes on Ryuu once again, giving a curt nod which Ryuu returned clumsily. Even with the heavy shadows and only the street lamps to light the surroundings, Ryuu could make out the other man's features.

The other was tall, standing in an easy stance, almost arrogant, a stoic expression on his handsome face, eyes sharp and studying. The color of those enrapturing eyes, Ryuu could not tell properly with the light, but they looked completely black. Dangerous. Having seen the man in action, the deadly speed and grace of his movement, bellying the man's height and physique, Ryuu knew he was more than accurate in his assumption.

Strange that he felt weirdly secure all of a sudden, safe and no anxiousness to be felt despite having watched the man take down another in a blink of an eye.

He straightened, rubbing a hand at his neck sheepishly while the other walked away towards a sleek black car, an expensive model Ryuu had only ever seen during annual charity balls when the guests were trying to one up the others.

He turned back to his own car, his body oddly warm. The unexpected hand on his shoulder made him jump and yelp in surprise, causing him to whirl around, staring up at the man the lady had called 'Hayato' who he hadn't even heard creep behind him while he'd fumbled for the door.

"How much?"

"Excuse me?"

He cleared his throat, a bit embarrassed at the squeaky quality his voice had suddenly taken.

"How much for you to keep this quiet?"

Ryuu gaped, the other's impassive expression never wavering. He should have been offended at the implication of a bribe really but all Ryuu felt was a laugh threatening to bubble up out from inside him, warming his chest, a strange mixture of disbelief, mortification, and weird amusement.

He ended up chuckling anyway, unable to help himself. The man was looking wary for once, regarding Ryuu with a cautious look.

He supposed the man was entitled to be cautious. Ryuu assumed the other must be at least someone who'd had his picture in a publication more than once, looking familiar but from where, Ryuu could not pinpoint exactly.

Up close, this 'Hayato' person was undeniably handsome. The other man was clean cut, statuesque with expensive looking clothes. The unruly short black hair only added to the taller man's overall appeal. He didn't exactly look like someone from the entertainment or fashion industry, his demeanor, cold and closed-off, but Ryuu couldn't be sure since he was rarely interested in the hundreds of tabloids or gossip-news that thrived on exposing the lives of the famous.

Obaa-san too was averse to such 'trivial' things as she liked to put it, Morinomiya's reputation of impenetrable privacy was well known.

"I know a coffee place that just opened up a few minutes away if you'd like." He finally said, smiling up at the man whose sharp eyes still showed nothing, though there was a distinct downward twitch of his lips.

"Just state your terms. I don't care to haggle and I dislike acting under a pretense of courtesy when it is not needed."

Oh. The other man thought Ryuu had wanted to talk a deal. The straightforwardness and honesty was refreshing. He couldn't help but want to smile wider though he held back, softening his expression.

"No, no. Coffee will do. I was thinking of picking up some late night tea before heading home anyway and thought having company would be pleasant...Not that you have to of course! If you have somewhere else to be..." Ryuu trailed off, looking up with a hopeful expression.

'Hayato' looked surprised, one brow quirked as the only indication of it but Ryuu took it as a win, a different expression at last.

"I wasn't planning to report it to the police or paparazzi or anything, assuming that that's what you're worried about. Forgive me of any offense, but I don't even know you other than your name is Hayato, assuming the lady was right. Though I'm sure I should recognize you or something, I'm not exactly up to date with the latest people and trends." He added sheepishly.

His cheeks flushing when he belatedly realized he'd pretty much called the guy hot enough to be famous, sensing amusement rolling off of the other man though his face remained stoic, though the earlier frown was gone completely.

"Your car or mine?"

Ryuu stared. The man was definitely amused, how Ryuu could sense it, he didn't even know.

"Whatever you prefer, I guess."

Without answering the man turned on his heel, striding on long legs towards his own car before pausing to throw a look over his shoulder at Ryuu, as if asking _'are you coming or what?'_.

Ryuu jogged up to the other man's side. He knew he was smiling again; he must've looked like a fool, unable to hide the slight heat showing on his face.

"Oh!" he exclaimed, causing Hayato(he hadn't denied that it wasn't his name) to turn to him, still in the process of fishing out his car keys.

"I-I'm sorry, I haven't even introduced myself. How rude. My name is Kashima Ryuuichi, 26 years old, I work, well will start working at that building over there next week. Nice to meet you...?"

"Kamitani Hayato, also 26. I don't work anywhere near here."

Ryuu bit his lip to keep from chuckling at the weird introductions they were both making. The name Kamitani sounded familiar indeed but he didn't think it had anything to do with Hayato. He was sure he would've remembered reading or hearing about the strange man before him.

"Nice to meet you, Kamitani."

Kamitani hadn't corrected him of leaving out an honorific so Ryuu gave a small bow before straightening, noticing Kamitani eye him strangely, as if searching for something in Ryuu's eyes.

Apparently satisfied with whatever he saw, the taller man returned the bow, graceful as ever, looking more relaxed as he righted up again.

"Nice to meet you too, Kashima."

He beamed up at the dark-haired man, ignoring the flutter in his stomach when his name rolled off the other man's tongue easily, no hint of anything other than a genuine greeting.

It wasn't a surprise that Kamitani hadn't heard of him or gave any indication that his name sounded familiar, or his connection to the Morinomiya empire. Few did and those were mostly old men trying to get in the Chairman's good graces.

Still, it warmed him the way Kamitani called him without an honorific, something familiar, making his name feel all the more special. It was all he had left, that and Kotarou, of his old life before his parents' death. Many of the company's legal counsel had advised Ryuu change it, Kotarou need not to, since Ryuu was the most likely candidate for heir to the company's fortunes and the Morinomiya's estates.

The short ride to the coffee place, a small quaint shop that had an unoccupied bar to one corner, was uneventful but filled with an unexpected comfortable silence. Neither of them feeling the need to break the ice that never formed.

It was nice, thought Ryuu. Quite nice.

* * *

"I didn't know, by the way."

"Um, sorry, what?"

Hayato tried not to stare into those warm earnest green eyes, cursing himself inwardly and his mouth that had run away without notifying his brain.

He didn't even know why he was explaining himself, the moment they got themselves a table. Explaining over a fucking cup of coffee, which tasted pretty good actually, in the wee hours of the day when sane people slept.

He didn't know why he felt like he wanted Kashima to understand, he felt it was important somehow, though the _why_ was too far to grasp at the moment.

"I didn't know she was already dating someone else."

"Oh. It's, uh, it's none of my business anyway."

He watched, fascinated by the way the smaller man bobbed his head, nodding as if thinking over his own words and agreeing with it, dark red soft-looking hair waving softly as he proceeded to sip patiently at his own cup of plain black tea.

Kashima's face was tinged pink, lips pursed over the edge of the cup, a light sheen of sweat on his nose and neck, most likely from the tea's steam combined with the heater turned up onto cozy warmth.

It was still hard to believe that they were the same age.

"..."

There it was again.

That stupid completely _un_-awkward atmosphere around them.

Despite the strange and pretty awful circumstances when they'd met less than half an hour ago, Hayato was feeling fucking comfortable, and yeah, that little part of him that wasn't basking in the warmth of weird fuzzy glow of being around Kashima Ryuuichi was freaking out big time.

Hayato was rarely _rarely_ surprised and the weird, all-too-trusting nice person with him had managed to surprise him more than once in less than an hour. What the hell.

He'd been intrigued at first by the bystander who'd looked abashed, maybe even slightly shamefaced that he hadn't been able to help Hayato take down that idiot Yuhi. Hayato made a mental note of calling in a few favors to take that asshole down a notch. Or two.

He hadn't really cared about the paparazzi getting wind of Ami's affair, hadn't cared that it would've been on gossip-news sites for an entire week.

But something made him turn around and walk up to the strange man, with his unforgettable sheepish smile and easily embarrassed demeanor. Something made him offer a bribe as a fucking conversation starter. Sure, he wasn't the most eloquent of men but if that wasn't the most idiotic thing to say to an interesting person, he didn't know what was.

Stranger even was that Kashima had only seemed amused, all warmth and gentle smiles when he had every right to be offended at being assumed to be a person who took bribes or stooped to blackmail or whatever.

He sipped at his coffee, perfectly bitter in just the right way. He ignored the two baristas who were shooting him covert flirty glances in favor of watching every little shift of movement Kashima made.

He was in the middle of remembering how his throat had felt a tad bit too dry when Kashima had shed his coat and scarf, exposing a slender frame though not at all girly, wrapped in a plain moss green long-sleeved sweater, making the smaller man's eyes look startlingly bright, the collar dipping low enough to expose his slender throat but barely grazing the top of his collar bone, when all of a sudden Hayato's business phone vibrated obnoxiously.

He fished it out from his coat draped over his chair, seeing Ami's name flash a few times before he blocked her number completely. He turned back to the table to see Kashima looking at him curiously. His chest didn't tighten. Not at all.

They talked about small things in the end, passing time without noticing it, the waitress attentively refilling their cups and offering small pastries that tasted heavenly even if, by all rights, Hayato should've been feeling sluggish given the hour.

Hayato drove the redhead back to his own car, not even sparing the building where Ami's agency was situated a glance, after Kashima had received a text, making the smaller man realize he should've been home more than an hour ago.

There were no other cars on the road but he parked by Kashima's, a company car by the looks of it. Hayato shot a look out the windshield at the still closed building where Kashima would be working, the shorter man having told him about the Morinomiya Sunshine Building earlier in a little detail while they took coffee, the name eliciting a snort from him. He assumed Kashima was just an ordinary salary man, though the other was far from being ordinary in his opinion, and was doing good by doing social work.

He hadn't told the smaller man about his own means of living other than that he was a businessman and Kashima hadn't pressed for more. He didn't know why but he hadn't felt like telling Kashima about Hayato's connection to the Hebihara Company, something he couldn't pin point nagging at the back of his mind.

"Thank you for the tea, Kamitani, though I really think I should've been the one who'd gotten the bill. I had a very pleasant time."

Hayato reached out, taking hold of the other man's arm when Kashima was already turned toward the door. He pressed his personal phone onto the redhead's hands, Kashima's brow crinkling in confusion.

"Your number. You have a phone, right?" he grunted out, unable to get any more coherent than that.

"Oh. Yes-yes, of course."

Thank _kami_ Kashima understood whatever Hayato meant, typing in his number with an adorable flushed expression. He fought down the feeling of an impending freak-out as that small part of him, that part he'd always thought to be the biggest part of him, his rational side, kept chanting _'what am I doing? what am I doing?'_ while he waited quietly for Kashima to finish.

He rang the number, seeing his own flash on Kashima's phone before they said their goodbyes, the only awkward part of the entire time since they'd gotten in Hayato's car.

He returned to his own apartment, a penthouse floor on one of the many skyscrapers around the city the company had managed to buy out and refurbish. One-way glass all around from floor to ceiling, allowing him the perfect view and privacy, the walls he could always adjust the tint of to whatever suited him.

Hebihara Conglomerate's main office could be seen far off to the west, only a five minute drive away. He set the windows to high-filter, deciding he was going to sleep in and not let the sun deprive him of it.

Hayato showered and prepared for bed, ready to slump down onto the mattress before he fumbled with his phone for a bit, mind already hazy, half asleep when he pressed the send button.

* * *

[To: Kashima Ryuuichi]

_"Hope to see you again soon. Had nice time."_

[From: Kamitani Hayato]

* * *

He was fast asleep when his phone beeped with a new message...

* * *

[To: Kamitani Hayato]

_"I look forward to it. :)"_

[From: Kashima Ryuuichi]

* * *

**A/N:**

**On the idea**

**Okay, so Rainbow Vein posted this idea on the mangafox Gakuen Babysitters forums which I just had to write about though I might be deviating from the prompt a bit.**

**lunaveea has also written a lovely fill for this, though I haven't read it yet because I don't want to mess up my headcanon just yet, and wow, this idea gave birth to so many plot bunnies now running rampant in my mind, I can't even. Go read it because I know it's going to be awesome because **_**she**_** is freaking awesome. She's, like, the one who banded us fangirls together.**

**On the chapter itself**

**I know it's pretty info-dump-ey for a first chapter but I couldn't resist because my mind is a sick and twisted place right now and the fluff bunnies are at war with the smut bunnies. The war is still raging so this is pretty much a warning that the rating might go up sometime if the smut bunnies have their way. (The drama bunnies and their minions, the angst bunnies, are hanging back to see who wins before they swoop in for the kill)**

**I use 'Taizou' for Hayato's father's name, using the corrected name the scanlators have posted. I picked the names Takato, Yasumi, Ami, and Yuhi at random because, fuck it, I'm not Japanese so I don't know names which are appropriate to specific details and whatnot.**

**For the life of me, I cannot, **_**cannot**_** find Inomata's first name(no matter how many times I re-read the scanlated chapters we have so far) and I don't want to give her a random one so I just used her last as her first, as with the case of Inui-sempai.**

**I'll be putting up notes at the beginning of a chapter for anything important like change of names or rating. New characters are showing up and different character developments are happening in the manga so I'll be posting relevant info because more likely than not, I'll be greatly influenced by canon despite this being AU.**

**...**

**Facts lifted from canon that I've had my merry way with: (Portion you'll be seeing a lot of in the future, facts related and/or influencing current chapter)**

**1. Ryuu never used honorifics with Hayato, even when they first met, which is weird even though they're the same age and stuff(though I'm not sure with the raws, this was observed from the scanlated first chapter)**

**Please forgive any typos and mistakes. Un-beta-ed and written mostly on my free time. This ship and this fic has taken over my life.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Thanks for all the lovely reviews, follows, and *gasp* favorites. This is for all the Hayato/Ryuuichi shippers over at the mangafox forums, and well, any fan of the pairing, I suppose.**

**See the end of the chapter for other author's notes.**

**[Read in ¾ format. 'coz I said so.]**

* * *

Chapter 2

Impromptu picnics and mustard sauce

* * *

Green eyes cracked open, still heavy with sleep, blinking as sunshine assaulted Ryuu's vision, indicating someone had opened the drapes but had let him sleep in.

"Kotarou, wake up. It's already morning." He mumbled, before realizing he was alone and he hadn't shared a bed with his baby brother in years.

He shook off the vestiges of sleep, getting up from the luxurious bed to pad around the extravagant room. He still found it a bit funny how large it was and the huge attached private bathroom it had. Obaa-san had insisted he take it now that Kotarou was old enough to have a room of his own.

He was just exiting the bathroom, having finished washing up, when a knock sounded on the double-doors to his bedroom.

"Excuse me, Ryuuichi-sama. Are you decent?"

"Ah, yes, Saikawa-san. Come in."

The door opened, revealing the older man with his usual butler attire, one hand on the door knob with the other posed across his front as he gave a short bow to Ryuu.

"Good morning, Ryuuichi-sama. I hope you had pleasant dreams. The chairman wishes you to join her for a late brunch as soon as you are ready."

"Yes, of course. I'll be down in a minute. Thank you, Saikawa-san."

The door closed, leaving Ryuu to the order of making himself presentable. Over the years, Saikawa had always been there, right with Obaa-san, for Kotarou and himself, yet Ryuu still did not know what to refer to him as. He wouldn't exactly be called a servant entirely, not a father-figure either, but all Ryuu knew Saikawa was family. The older man even managed more than a few affairs of the company, and Ryuu had been fairly surprised to find that he was even on the board of directors.

He headed to one of the smaller dining areas where breakfast and lunch were usually held, French styled balcony windows open to let sunlight and a slight breeze fill the room.

"Good morning, obaa-san."

"Hmm."

Fluffy white hair bobbed, visible over the top of an open newspaper.

Ryuu took his seat to the right of their Obaa-san, thanking Saikawa-san politely as he was served a breakfast of fresh sunny-side-up styled eggs, toast and butter. As per usual with every meal, a whole array of delectable dishes were laid out on the table.

He proceeded eating, noticing with surprise at the section the chairman was reading, the newspaper finally laid out on the table, plate and silverware pushed to one side.

It was opened at the entertainment section, though he couldn't completely make out what the chairman was reading though the words "famous female idol", someone from the "Japan's hottest bachelors", and "affair" were too big to miss.

"Tsk. Idiot boy. Taizou should have a tighter leash on that one."

Ryuu paused, recognizing the name of the Hebihara's family head and chairman to Hebihara Conglomerate. The disapproving tone was what made Ryuu curious but before he could ask, the fluffy-haired woman was waving the paper away, Saikawa appearing in an instant to take it.

"So, how are the preparations for the opening on Sunday morning going?"

Laser focus eyes zeroed in on Ryuu. Despite all the talk about Morinomiya Youko being one of the most feared people in the business world, she would forever be 'obaa-san' to Kotarou and himself. He returned a smile to her usual scowl, a mix of genuine feeling and habit.

"Everything is ready. Saikawa-san told me about our dinner with the Hebihara's after the opening so I've had the celebratory charity ball moved to next week."

He blinked at the derisive snort from the chairman when he mentioned the name 'Hebihara'.

"Is there something wrong? I thought you were on good terms with Hebihara-san."

"Nothing you need to worry about." said the elder lady dismissively.

"How was your night? Saikawa tells me you arrived at least an hour later than expected." she continued, eyeing Ryuu suspiciously.

"Oh. Sorry about that. I met someone, a new friend hopefully, and we had coffee, or well, he had coffee and I had tea at the new shop owned by an old friend a few minutes away from the Sunshine Building."

Sharp eyes were on him but he didn't even feel the urge to fidget, having grown used to it years ago. Though, he was reminded of a particular set of sharp dark eyes, being under the scrutiny of which, he didn't think he would ever get used to.

"_He_?"

Ryuu didn't know why but he felt himself blush, obaa-san looking surprised and increasingly curious.

"Yes, well, there was a misunderstanding and he bought me tea after I'd asked him to join me at the shop."

The older lady was about to say something but Ryuu's phone rang in his pocket and she waved at him to go ahead and answer.

"Excuse me, obaa-san. Hello? Kamitani? Good morning. Yes, I've just finished brunch. Thank you for last night, er, earlier this morning."

He was still talking when a choked sound caused him to turn back to the chairman, whose eyes were wide open and staring at Ryuu, Saikawa wiping up spilled tea before the elder woman.

_"Everything alright?" _Kamitani's voice snapped him back to their conversation though he kept glancing back to his obaa-san curiously.

"Oh. Yes. Sorry, everything's alright. I'm with my grandmother right now." he said in reply.

_"You have brunch with your grandmother?"_ drawled the man on the other end of the line.

Ryuu smiled sheepishly despite knowing Kamitani couldn't possibly see him. He sensed amusement on the other man's tone, though nothing derisive or condemning, just good natured ribbing.

"Yes, I do, when I don't wake early enough for a normal breakfast. Um, so, why did you call?"

_"I'm driving to work so I can't exactly send you a text message."_

"You're not supposed to be using the phone while driving!" Ryuu blurted out without thinking, already ready to go off on a lecture about car accidents. He glanced at obaa-san who was looking intrigued but also amused.

He flushed as he heard a low chuckle from the other side, the sudden urge to see Kamitani's expression as he laughed gripping Ryuu.

_"I know. You're on speaker, don't worry. Both hands on the wheel."_

"Still..." Ryuu trailed off half-heartedly.

_"I was calling to ask if you were doing anything tonight. An acquaintance gave me two tickets to a premier of his latest movie. An action flick of some sort and I have to go apparently, or his wife will nag me nonstop."_

"His wife?"

_"My secretary."_

It figured that Kamitani knew people in the entertainment business, Ryuu's theory on him being part of the industry was looking to be on the mark.

"Oh. Okay. Sure, around what time?"

_"I'll text you the details when I get to work."_

Ryuu couldn't help but laugh at the pointed tone in Kamitani's voice.

"We'd only just met this morning. Kamitani Hayato, are you asking me on a date?"

He said it teasingly but the immediate reply made him stumble over words.

_"Whatever you want to call it is fine. Talk to you later."_

"O-oh, uh, see you." He managed to stutter off before the connection was cut. He stared, gaping at his phone for a moment before Saikawa cleared his throat softly, snapping Ryuu back to reality.

He pushed the thought of a 'date' to the back of his mind, knowing the other man had to have been joking, although, with Kamitani, Ryuu couldn't be sure.

"So you have a date later, Ryuuichi?"

"Oh, uh, no! Not a date. Just the new friend I was telling you about."

He ended up spilling the events of the previous night, how they'd met, and the misunderstanding that ensued with Kamitani's explanation of having known nothing about the woman already having a lover.

When he finished, the elder lady had just stared at him for a while before bursting out laughing, cackling as she let Saikawa-san help her off of her seat.

He stared after her, puzzled, as she walked away after wishing him good luck on his 'not a date'.

* * *

"That's your private phone, right? Aniki?"

His brother didn't even bother answering, sparing Taka a glance and a raised eyebrow before looking back down at the phone Taka knew very well has seen very little of the world outside his aniki's pocket until recently.

Plus, his brother was in a good mood and hadn't hit him [yet] all day since he'd crashed at his brother's office after club activities, Umi-chan had let him in.

Honestly, it was freaking Taka out.

He watched, though not quietly (_kami_ save the world if ever Taka decided to be a good boy and sit still) as his brother lounged back onto one of the plush couches, the most relaxed he'd ever seen his older brother in _years_, or, like, _ever_. His brow scrunched in confusion as Hayato took his business phone out with his free hand.

"Umi-san, please check if I have any appointments tonight that can be pushed to a future date. Alright. Yes. Yes. No, keep the 6pm I have with Yagi-san."

"Do you have a date tonight?" Taka cut in abruptly. Umi-san must've asked the same question, causing Hayato to sigh, glaring at Taka and the whole world in general.

"Not a date. _No_, I don't want you to make reservations in _any _restaurant, _Mamizuka-san_."

Hayato's secretary's name was said in a warning tone though Taka knew for a fact that Umi-chan wouldn't be backing off anytime soon.

It was why she was chosen for the position and is still amazingly held it. She was the only one of the very few people in the world, in Taka's opinion, who could read the atmosphere around Taka's older brother without balking from Hayato's personality.

It also helped that Takuma and Kazuma's mother had once been his aniki's gym teacher way back in middle school before she'd given up teaching when she slipped a disc and opted for a desk job. Even Taka knew better than to ever mess with his friends' mother.

"I'll be leaving early. By the way, find out from Kousuke-san when their tour will be ending. I want to know the minute Inui steps into the city. The Hebihara family will be hosting a dinner tomorrow evening. Yes, we'll be alright. Taka's here right now."

"We'll be fine Umi-chan!" Taka yelled, making Hayato glare at him.

He perked at the idea of Inui-niisan coming home. Though the older man wasn't as cool as Hayato, Taka thought, he was still pretty cool in Taka's eyes. Hayato thought Inui was an airhead though. It really didn't count since half the people his older brother met, Hayato counted as an airhead, while Taka had the exclusive priviledge of being an idiot.

It also maybe helped that Inui had played the role of 'Mister Mask', the lead in a popular children's show, when Taka was still a kid. Kotarou had mentioned the superhero as one of his classic favorites too, when Taka and his bestfriend of two years had gotten onto the topic.

"So, who are you messaging?" He blurted out after his brother tucked the business phone away, the private one still on one hand.

"..."

"Oi! Don't ignore me, stupid-Aniki!"

"..."

He lunged forward, making a grab for the phone from his position on the floor. His attempt was thwarted when his brother snatched it away from his reach before smacking Taka upside the head.

Taka yelped indignantly at the sting. He was about to go off on how stupid Hayato was being when he was cut off by his brother, still holding onto the stupid phone, getting up and grabbing his coat.

"Shut up, idiot. No one you know. I'm heading out for a bit. If the weird pervert arrives and I'm not here yet, leave. Immediately. Tell the old woman I said hi."

"I'm not an idiot! I won't hang around waiting for that pedo! I'm telling mom you went on a date!"

Taka shouted after Hayato, still rubbing at his head, his brother closing the door after himself. At least Kotarou didn't seem to have the same older-brother troubles, Taka's best friend always describing his 'Ryuu-nii' with reverence and affection.

Taka packed up his stuff, junk-food wrappers and whatnot that he'd managed to scatter around. He knew Hayato would kill him if he left the office messy and Taka didn't really care for another hit or a meeting with pervy-Yagi, running off out the door the minute he was done.

He hummed the tune of 'Mister Mask' as he took the elevator to the lobby, already looking forward to checking up on what Kotarou was up to.

* * *

Inui ran a hand through his carefully styled hair, knowing he would still look good anyway, though his looks took a lot of painstaking effort unlike a certain someone.

He shot a resentful glare at the man he was sharing the limousine with. If it weren't for idiot-Kousuke obsessing as per usual over his twins, who were high-school freshmen by the way (Kousuke never failed to remind anybody who would stop and listen), they would have still been on tour with his beautiful Yukaricchi.

But noo, his mentor just had to talk the managers into allowing him to get home earlier and so Inui had been roped in as well.

He sighed heavily. He wasn't looking forward to the weekend at all, unlike his co-workers. Ugh. A family dinner, with the Kamitani's and the Morinomiya's no less.

He pulled up his tablet, checking up on his blog. Everyone was vain to a certain degree but nothing was wrong to have pick-me-ups by reading fan-mail. It was heartwarming. Really.

He checked and saw a few from the usual fans, a small group who called themselves Gakuen Babysitters for some reason unknown to him. He clicked them open with an indulgent smile, checking MaskKou's first. The kid (though he hoped it was a kid and not some weird internet creep) wrote the best fan-mails he'd ever read. Simple stories about his life, but not too detailed to be deemed strange.

Just simple refreshing stories or memories from when MaskKou was younger and had looked up at 'Mister Mask', the inspiration the character gave him as a kid, and so on and so forth. There was something constantly in them though. There was always a small tidbit about an older brother who was obviously viewed as perfect by Inui's fan.

It made him ponder again at his relationship with his family.

His gaze wandered back to the screen, grimacing then smiling then grimacing again when his blog pretty much evolved into the usual chat-room it wasn't supposed to be.

_WitchyGirl_220: OMG! MaskKou-chan, you are so obvious with your username! You should change it._

_MaskKou: ..._

_Falcon12isAwesome: WitchyGirl_220, shut up! Don't tell him what to do! As if you weren't as obvious._

Inui snorted, knowing very well who _Falcon12isAwesome_ was, thinking of printing out the conversation as a present for his younger cousin, or was that brother? Inui still didn't know what to refer to Hayato and Taka as.

_06MirichanBabe: Omigawd, you guys are so immature. XP_

_MaskKou: ..._

_Falcon12isAwesome: You guys are all lame except for Mister Mask, MaskKou, and myself._

_2Twins T: I love Mister Mask! Too bad the show rarely has reruns anymore._

_2Twins K: 2Twins T isn't lame! D:_

_Falcon12isAwesome: Whatever._

It went on like that for a few more minutes, Inui's boredom long gone replaced by weird amusement. Kousuke was pulling the dramatics over his sons not replying to any of his e-mails or texts. Inui had a suspicious feeling he knew what those twins 'Taku-chan' and 'Kazu-chan' were doing if the obvious usernames were any indication but he brushed it off. The world, _Japan_ even, wasn't that small. But wow, would he lord it over his co-worker if a couple of his fans really were Mamizuka Kousuke's kids.

He stared out the tinted windows, familiar buildings and new ones meeting his gaze. He glimpsed a billboard, a stunning model advertising her latest line of perfume, his heart clenching a bit. Yukari, a world-renowned soft-spoken actress and the love of his life, was heading straight for an archeological dig in some godforsaken country with the purpose of spending a few days break with her husband, Sawatari-san, before returning to Japan to check-up on their daughter, who, last Inui had heard, was a middle-school brat.

He sighed, turning away. His weekend was going to be interesting to say the least.

* * *

Ryuu was having a surprisingly pleasant time hanging out with Kamitani.

One of Kamitani's earlier appointments having been cancelled so the taller man had called Ryuu if he had wanted to meet up earlier. They'd met earlier than expected by a park near the theaters.

Ryuu wasn't expecting the easy way they talked though their interests seemed worlds apart. All throughout the course of the late afternoon and early evening, it was easy to forget that he'd only met the man in less than a day.

They'd walked around the park for a bit, and though he'd expected awkward moments, they were rare and far in between. Kamitani had shared that it had been a long time since he'd last 'relaxed', as he put it, which Ryuu didn't have a hard time believing.

They sat on the cool grass though there were benches aplenty, Kamitani grabbing a newspaper to spread for cover though he was quick to toss out the entertainment section at which Ryuu had raised his eyebrow, curious, after Kamitani muttered something unintelligible.

Ryuu glanced to his side, a small feeling of wonder tugging at his chest. Where Ryuu was sitting with his knees relaxed but curled towards him, the taller man was sprawled out, leaning back on his arms, like he knew how good he looked and didn't care.

Kamitani was dressed in a simple white button down, the top three buttons open, a pair of classy dark pants that looked tailor made, and a stylish jacket which looked sleek but functional at the same time.

Ryuu hadn't expected to see the other man in casual clothes but he didn't doubt for a second that Kamitani would look good in anything, what with the legs that went on forever, toned body, perfect skin, undeniably handsome features with eyes that were just...

Yeah, Ryuu stared. He couldn't help it. Kamitani had yet to call him on it.

It wasn't all in the looks though, part of it was also in the way Kamitani carried himself, his natural posture that any male model would kill to perfect. The weirdest part of it all was that he knew, Ryuu knew he should be feeling conscious or, in the least, a bit nervous, sitting beside an incredibly good looking man, but all he felt was a sense of belonging, right there by Kamitani's side. And he was pretty sure the little fluttering beats of his heart had nothing to do with being nervous.

Ryuu's stomach grumbled embarrassingly loud, reminding him that dinner was yet to be had. Without a word, Kamitani left, only to return with hotdogs and bottled tea.

He muttered thanks and they ate in silence, the sky growing a heavy orange and the air turning noticeably cooler. He pulled his coat tighter around him, grateful that he'd managed to grab a neckwarmer and some gloves before meeting up with Kamitani. He gave a quick look to the man by his side, noticing a smudge of mustard at the corner of the taller man's mouth.

Without thinking, Ryuu wiped it away gently before licking it off his thumb, tasting the tang of the mustard. When he turned to look back at the taller man, Kamitani was staring, blinking slowly before he turned away, looking a bit strange. Ryuu felt his face heat. Okay. He didn't mean to do it. He was just too used to doing it for Kotarou, he'd forgotten it wasn't normal to do that, especially with two grown men.

"You mentioned having played baseball earlier." Ryuu started after the lull in their conversation, remembering to bring up the topic for clarification later on. There must be something seriously wrong with him, thought Ryuu, feeling his face heat again as those sharp dark eyes zeroed in on him.

"Yeah. Used to play for a little league team until I had a try with high school level plays."

"Why didn't you continue? I'm sure you must've been good enough to go pro."

Kamitani raised an eyebrow at the unintended flattery, Ryuu blushing. Okay. He hadn't known. It was just. He couldn't imagine Kamitani being bad at anything.

"Actually, my coaches said I was pretty good, and, yeah, maybe if I'd continued I would've gotten a good position in the minor leagues. Didn't though. It was either pursue a baseball career or business school."

"You chose to enter business?" He questioned, his brow furrowing.

"Wait, what _do_ you do for a living? I never got the chance to ask though we've talked about so many things already."

Kamitani cocked his head to the side, looking at Ryuu studiously.

"I work for Hebihara Conglomerate. A CEO, actually."

Ryuu blinked in surprise but not for one second did he doubt the taller man was telling the truth. No wonder Kamitani's face had looked familiar. The other man was young and, apparently, must also be genius to have gained his current status. Kamitani would most likely have been featured in numerous publications already. He thought of bringing up the subject that he was more than head of the charity department of the Morinomiya Corporation but it sounded quite like gloating in his ears, especially the fact that he would be dining with Kamitani's bosses the night after.

"Wow. Sorry. I'd thought you were in the entertainment industry actually, though I can't really picture you acting, mostly modeling."

Ryuu must've said something funny because Kamitani had ended up chuckling.

"So you've mentioned."

Ryuu flushed, reminded of how he'd blundered through their introductions the night before.

"You're very honest." Kamitani says quietly, his face impassive once again but there's a hint of amusement and something else in his eyes. It makes Ryuu warm all over, that look.

"Yeah, people say that a lot about me. I can't help it, I suppose. My brother and I were raised that way. My parents died in an accident when I was just finishing middle school and, well, my grandmother, though we're not blood related, took us in."

Ryuu rarely brought it up, hadn't actually, since graduating high school, but the thought still made his heart ache a bit, though he never once regretted meeting obaa-san and Saikawa-san. Kamitani only nodded quietly, and oddly, that was enough. The sorrowful air dissipated and Ryuu felt immensely grateful for some reason. He was used to people saying "I'm sorry" when they learned about it, or they forced themselves to talk about Ryuu's parents with him even if they didn't know a thing about his parents.

And because his heart felt full and warm, he ended up talking about his parents for the first time in more than five years while Kamitani remained listening, eyes never leaving Ryuu. He hadn't even talked this much about them, volunteered this much information about them with his last two girlfriends. By the end of it, he was rubbing at his eyes embarrassingly when they'd ended up prickling with tears while Kamitani dutifully looked away.

"Sorry. Got carried away." He said, voice sounding wet because of tearing up.

"They sounded like nice people. I would've liked to have met them."

"Yeah, they were. I'm pretty sure they would've liked to have met you too."

And Ryuu is smiling a bit crookedly and his heart can't help but beat a little bit faster, warmer, when Kamitani smiles in that way of his, the corner of his lips just slightly turned up, his eyes dark and warm, comforting.

They make it to the theaters half-way through the show and Ryuu finds himself not minding one bit.

* * *

**A/N-**

**So, this was actually just a quarter of what turned out to be another monster of a chapter. Decided to cut it up to here since I'm evil. The rest of it will be posted when I work out some kinks in the story.**

**I wanted to put Hayato's POV but it took up the bulk of the chapter [spoiler: the Morinomiya and Hebihara dinner] and I didn't like cutting it. So we got a little of Taka's and Inui's points of view as a sort of filler because we will be seeing a lot of them soon. I don't trust myself with Kotarou's POV just yet.**

**Just drop me a review if you feel like it. They help motivate me to post quicker, though not promising anything. Took me 10 days before I got to posting this. Sorry. Wasn't even supposed to. I'm supposed to be prepping for my Tax 1-2a subject in the morning. Gugh.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Thanks again for all the support, lovely reviews, and subscriptions. They make my heart go sha~la~la~la~la.**

**See end of chapter for author's other notes.**

**(Read in 3/4 format. I say so. Do it. You know you want to)**

* * *

Chapter 3

Bound

* * *

"He isn't a piece of meat you sell to the highest bidder!"

Inomata's shrill voice filled the otherwise silent and exclusive study of Taizou Hebihara, the tension still thick and heavy from the moment they all stepped into the room.

Hayato glared at her, stopping her in mid-rant. Her face a blotchy red, infuriated. Taka shifted uncomfortably by his side. It was just them, Inui, and Taizou in the room, none of the more senior Hebihara family members present.

"What do you suggest then, dear sister? The younger one is barely of marrying age though I suppose..." Inui's taunting voice carried, trailing at the end for a moment before another round of shouting exploded, both Taka and Inomata rounding on him before he could draw breath and continue.

"NO! What is wrong with you!? He's just a-"

"You stay away from Kotarou, Inui-nii, or fuck, I'll-"

"Enough!"

Taizou's voice rang, silencing anymore of their objections. He waited for all four of his 'children' to turn to him; the glasses perched on his nose making him look even more severe.

"We will have none of this. I called you three aside so we can discuss this like adults." Taizou said in his usual no-nonsense tone.

Hayato fought the urge to snort. Like _adults_, his father said. When, just moments before, they were coddled around by the clan's elders in the official family conference room a few doors away, and were still being treated like brats. Inui was less controlled, making a sound of disbelief, quieting again when Taizou's eyes turned on him. The three of them stood, Inomata and Inui looking stiff, Taka fidgeting nervously, half-hidden by Hayato who alone looked unfazed by the admonishing look from their father behind the heavy-wood desk.

"If you have not understood the importance of this issue, I shall repeat what we have discussed as a family these last five hours..."

Hayato shot a quick glance at his siblings before returning his attention back to the grey-haired man, who, if Hayato wasn't mistaken, was looking tired for the first time since Hayato realized his father could never talk or act like a normal _dad_.

"The elders wish to tie the Morinomiya's to the family and, as luck would have it, it has been rumored that Morinomiya Youko is quite willing to broker a marriage or civil partnership on behalf of her official heir, Kashima Ryuuichi, to a good match with an excellent background and connections. You three have been chosen as the best possible candidates by vote of the family-"

"That was the purpose of the 'family dinner' then. To parade us in front of Morinomiya Youko so she could take her pick on who would be best for her grandson. I suppose our family was the first choice." Hayato spat coldly, unable to help it.

"You _will not _interrupt me when I am speaking."

Hayato shut his mouth instinctively at the cold rebuke, gritting his teeth as he clenched his fists for control, suddenly feeling like 16 all over again when he'd decided to bring up the topic of Taka's illegitimacy to his father.

Taizou heaved a sigh when it was evident that Hayato was obeying, though obviously defiant.

"Essentially, yes, that was the purpose of last month's dinner. An informal presentation of sorts. Kashima-kun has no knowledge of any of this with no official deal on the table just yet though I suppose it will be quite an unpleasant surprise for him and his younger brother who was supposed to be the other option. Youko-san has yet to share her opinion on the matter though she has not gone forward with meeting other prospective families..." Taizou finally admitted, looking straight at Hayato before turning to Inui, continuing, "...It is expected, though the elders have disputed on the option, that Inui be the first choice for the Morinomiya heir, being heir apparent himself, while a good portion of them would prefer Inomata getting married off."

A sort of buzzing filled Hayato's ears at those words, feeling himself go pale in anger. Taka must've sensed something wrong because he took a step back, the three other adults oblivious to the sudden almost-electric crackle of tension in the room while Inui and Inomata protested the proposal.

"Fuck this! Everyone knows I'm only heir by name! I'm not marrying some docile dandy to please you _or_ the family, _father_!"

"Just because I'm a _girl_, you're going to marry me off!? This isn't the feudal era! I have rights! I-"

"Nothing has been made final yet but it would be better if you prepared yourself to the inevitability-" Taizou inserted.

"No."

All eyes turned to Hayato, everyone feeling a slight chill at the quiet way the objection was made.

"I'll do it." The words left a bitter taste in his mouth. But it had to be said. For Kashima. For his friend.

He felt weary and tired after a long day of listening to geezers fight and squabble over someone else's future. He felt a strange resentment for Morinomiya Youko, as opposed to his initial impression of her which was respect, at the knowledge that she was willing to do something like this behind her loving grandson's back, though he knew nothing of her true intentions.

He hated manipulative people, meddlesome people, but for Kashima, for Ryuuichi, he supposed he could stoop to their level, only to save the kind man from the likes of Inui and his father.

Before anybody else could express their disbelief or protest, he stated his reasoning as objectively as possible.

"I'll do it. Tell those geezers that if they're too chickenshit to believe in the company's own strength that we have to tie Morinomiya to us, I'll marry Kashima."

"What do you think-" Taizou made to interrupt but Hayato just rolled over him, continuing while walking casually to the door.

"I'm sure Morinomiya Youko would object to her heir marrying _into_ the family but if I, a bastard of Hebihara Taizou, were to have a civil partnership with the man, I'm sure the elders would be all too happy to hear it, thinking so highly of themselves that they'd view my marriage as a hidden insult and putting Morinomiya in her place. Morinomiya won't object to me being a possible candidate because, as you said earlier, _father_, I am a prospective match with a good background and credentials and I won't be much of a threat to the family since I am not the heir."

He didn't wait for his father's reply, stepping out coolly after shooting his usual cold smirk at his siblings' and father's dumbfounded expressions, feeling sick to the gut as an image of Kashima beaming up at him like a kid flashed before his eyes.

"Draw up the papers." He said in parting before shutting the door behind him with a soft click.

He knew his father would bring his proposal to the elders. He'd have to.

This was for Kashima, he told himself resolutely, ignoring the very tiny feeble thought that niggled at the back of his mind, barely heard as it whispered that just maybe, Hayato really did want this just for the sake of having Kashima by his side.

* * *

_A month before..._

Hayato stared, slightly amused. A boy who looked no older than Taka was looking up at him quietly with rusty green eyes, contrasted by the boy's seafoam green hair. He assumed the kid was of the Morinomiya party, maybe even one of the two boys Morinomiya Youko had adopted all those years back when Hayato was finishing middle-school. He heard little of the pair, Morinomiya guarding them from the public eye. Only when the older of two had reached the age of majority did Morinomiya allow the business world to meet him, though even then, Hayato hadn't been interested enough to bother, too busy clawing his way through business school.

Hayato had headed out for one to the many balconies that led from the ballroom upon arriving at the Hebihara household's main estate. He'd decided to spare his aunts and uncles the agony of introducing him to the Morinomiyas by keeping clear though he couldn't very well have not attended. At least now, his father couldn't say anything about him not attending.

What was supposed to be a simple 'family' dinner, a meet-and-greet, had become an ostentatious party attended by the most senior members of the family, some board members who were in the country and a couple of advisers both legal and financial. Morinomiya too had brought a cavalry of sorts. Her right hand man, Saikawa, was present along with a few key members of the Morinomiya Company, and her two adopted grandsons.

Dinner was yet to be served so the guests were all mingling and socializing in the ballroom that was rarely used for such trivial matters. He'd intended to keep to himself, away from the party, with a few glasses of wine to help pass the time before he could excuse himself without being rude.

He hadn't expected for someone to also prefer the quiet of the night though he couldn't blame the kid. A room full of stuffy old people was excruciating, even for him. Taka was most likely causing a scene and he tamped down the urge to search out his younger brother and fish him out of trouble, not without a good smack to the head.

He didn't feel like it tonight though. Taka would have to do without Hayato for the night.

He looked away from the kid dressed in a simple but doubtlessly expensive tux, sipping at his wine while enjoying the cool night's air. The balcony opened up to the view of most of the grounds, classical music floating softly from the inside out the open glass doors. At least the kid knew how to appreciate the silence, though Hayato had to admit the boy seemed a bit strange, being so used to Taka's noise and movement.

He glanced at his companion, noticing that the boy's attention had been taken by a large beetle crawling on the marble banisters. What, was the kid five or something? Though he knew if it had been Taka, the beetle would've most likely have been crushed by too eager hands.

Hayato watched, though, with nothing better to do and, really, it was such a strange thing to see. A most likely high-school kid crouching down to press close against the banisters, watching quietly, enraptured as the bug crawled along the smooth stone.

"Oi, Hayato, what do you think you're doing hiding away out here?"

Hayato turned to the familiar drawl, watching as a man older than Hayato by several years stepped out onto the balcony, his own glass of champagne in hand, hair tied back onto a loose ponytail.

"Usaida. I didn't know you were attending."

"Yeah, well, wasn't planning to but when your grouchy old boss comes up to you and orders you to attend a party, you can't really say no."

Usaida Yoshihito was one of the key legal advisers to the company, a famous lawyer who'd won double the cases of any veteran lawyer twice his age. He was a genius by most people's standards though he was notorious for his bouts of laziness and penchant for sleeping in the most inopportune times, like a board meeting or a particularly long court hearing.

He was Inomata's mentor long before Hebihara Conglomerate was able to rope him into working for them exclusively. Hayato had the misfortune of having one of Usaida's known weaknesses as a mother, Kamitani Shizuka. His mother had been Usaida's sempai in the university and she was one of the very few who could effectively keep him in line.

Usaida's constant complaints against Hayato's father were well-known though he still stayed with the company. When asked why, the older man would put on the dramatics and say that Morinomiya's chairman was a cheapskate so he stuck with Hebihara even if their chairman was a 'bully' in his words.

The quiet boy made an 'oh' sound as the beetle flitted a few feet in the air before descending back onto the marble. Usaida finally noticing the boy looked surprised and approached him, sparing Hayato the effort to converse with him.

"Kotarou! I didn't know you were out here. What are you looking at? What a nice beetle. Though I should advice you not to stay too long away from the party, especially with this creepy old man as a companion." Usaida whispered conspiratorially, jerking a thumb over his shoulder indicating Hayato. The boy just blinked, regarding Usaida then Hayato for a moment before nodding his head and turning back to the beetle which was now spanning its wings though it didn't look like it was about to fly off.

"Ah, you wound me, Kotarou-chan." Usaida exclaimed with an exaggerated faint before chuckling at his own antics.

Huh. So the kid's name was 'Kotarou'. That name was suddenly becoming quite common nowadays. Taka had kept rambling about his new best friend who he'd met in his last year of middle school. A kid named Ko-something. Though it wouldn't be farfetched that the boy Morinomiya adopted was his brother's friend since the school they'd entered was exclusive after all. Kashima had mentioned a younger brother named 'Kotarou' though. The thought caused a nagging feeling to start in the back of Hayato's mind.

Usaida was a man naturally genial but he only ever used someone's first name, sometimes with the 'chan' honorific if he genuinely liked a person, though he'd learned never to call Hayato _Hayato-chan_. The one time he did earned him a warning, the second, a nice purple shiner on his right eye, and the third and last had him sporting a broken nose for three weeks.

"Leave him be, Usaida." Hayato said. He was considering whether to risk a trip back inside for a refill, his wine glass already empty and he wasn't sure he would be able to keep himself from hitting the older man any longer. It wouldn't do to hit a member of your party in front of another. But he stopped mid-turn as something Usaida said suddenly stopped him in his tracks.

"Ah, but I can't leave any one of the Kashima brothers, they're just too cute, and, unfortunately, I left Ryuu-chan to the mercy of Ino-chan. Speaking of, Kotarou-chan, your older brother has been looking all over for you."

The 'Kotarou' boy had been generally impassive but he visibly perked at the mention of his older brother. Hayato barely noticed, currently focused on one thing.

"Kashima Kotarou? Kashima Ryuuichi is your older brother?"

The boy nodded. Huh. That was a surprise.

Hayato took a while to process the new information, noticing Usaida who was looking at him curiously.

"I forgot that you weren't here for the introductions earlier this evening. You could've at least done a little homework on your guests Hayato."

Hayato frowned at Usaida's bemused look.

"I've already met Kashima Ryuuichi actually. Excuse me, I'll be heading back inside now."

He didn't wait for a reply before turning on is heel, blinking slightly as the dazzling chandelier lights met his vision. He replaced his empty glass with a full one from a passing waiter, intent on finishing it before he excused himself from the party.

He'd only gone a few steps before he felt something tug on the sleeve of his tux. He looked down mid-drink to see Kashima's younger brother had followed him, hand on Hayato's sleeve.

"..."

"..."

They both stood for a moment before Hayato sighed, waving his glass away at another passing waiter.

"Need help looking for your brother?"

The boy nodded. Well, at least they understood each other. Hayato could appreciate a fellow man of few words. He allowed the boy to follow him, still holding onto Hayato's sleeve. They were generally ignored since most of the Hebihara family saw him and decidedly turned away. The few who noticed the Kashima boy following along like a kid were silenced by Hayato's cold flat eyes that stared back if they tended to gape too long.

They weaved through the edges of the dance floor, Hayato keeping out a sharp eye for his father or Morinomiya Youko. If he were Inomata, who disliked noise and general hubbub so much more than Hayato but attended out of obligation, where would he be? Most likely offending or scaring a couple of people by the refreshments table.

Sure enough, when he steered the Kashima boy and himself to the general direction of the refreshments area, he spotted his half-sister looking flustered though he couldn't make out what she was saying, still a few meters away. Then he saw a familiar looking red-head looking sheepish and rubbing at the back of his head.

"There." He said to the younger of the two Kashimas who in turn tried to see but was hindered by all the other people milling about.

Hayato could not take his eyes off of the pair, already striding forward with the teen in tow. He frowned when apparently Kashima looked to have been saying something before Inomata was dragging the other man off to a hallway that had been closed off for the party.

He brushed away the strange unpleasant feeling starting in his gut though his steps did seem a bit more determined. He entered but the two were nowhere in sight though he could hear Inomata's voice, using the tone she'd perfected as a child when she was trying to keep from blowing her lid and screaming in frustration.

They walked closer to the sound of voices, audible now that the sources were a corner away. Hayato wasn't much of an eavesdropper though wherever a certain redhead was concerned, Hayato found himself in the strangest situations, situations he wouldn't usually find himself in if he were his usual self. He stood, leaning back casually to face the other wall of the corridor, crossing his arms across his chest. He glanced at his shorter companion, quiet as ever with an indiscernible look on his face.

The hallways were dimly lit, impractical chandeliers hanging low casting a soft warm glow that didn't quite light up everything but covered every corner with soft shadows. Hayato didn't like it, the two talking in what were obviously hushed tones in a private area. He tamped down the strange feeling in his gut once again.

"I can't _believe_ this! You're the Morinomiya _heir_?!"

At least Hayato wasn't the last one to know about Kashima's position in the prestigious family. He shot a look at his companion, feeling a sense of unease coming off from the kid. Hayato gave the boy, what he hoped was an assuring pat on the head, doing it a bit stiffly and awkwardly since he was used to more painful means of getting a message across.

At least the kid looked like he relaxed a bit, giving another soft nod at Hayato.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I don't mention it a lot and I'd thought that Nezu-kun would've mentioned it to you. I didn't know you were Hebihara-san's daughter."

Inomata gave a sharp hiss at the mention of Kashima's weird friend. That was interesting. The shaggy-haired man was the owner of the shop Hayato and Kashima had visited when they'd first met, Kashima telling Hayato about his old university buddy yesterday when they went to take another late night coffee after the movie had ended.

Hayato made a mental note to bring the name up, preferably within Inui's hearing. The older man was better at tormenting people in his obnoxious way anyway.

Inomata hissed something inaudible causing Kashima to apologize more. Hayato could already picture the other man's gentle smiling face, speaking in placating tones.

"I'm sorry. I hadn't known it was a secret."

"It wasn't. It just didn't last long enough for it to actually matter. He's gay."

Inomata gave a short cruel laugh at the end, as if laughing at something she'd said.

"All these years-"

They continued talking but Hayato's attention went back to the younger Kashima brother who was tugging at his sleeve, motioning towards where they'd originally come from. The kid had more sense about privacy than Hayato so he'd let himself be pulled away, loath as he was to leave Kashima and Inomata alone again.

They left the hallway though they stood as if standing on guard to its entrance. Hayato was forced to make small talk with family members whose curiosity overrode their general disapproval of Hayato's mere existence, curious as to why he was standing silently in a corner with the youngest Morinomiya grandson.

Eventually, dinner was called but the couple still hadn't emerged and Hayato was having enough of it. Inomata's secret love life or whatever be damned.

"Kotarou-" Hayato said, testing out the name quietly, "I'm going to go call them. You go on ahead and maybe nobody will notice something's a miss."

The boy looked hesitant, glancing nervously at the doors to the hallway.

"Don't worry. I'll make sure Kashima won't get into trouble."

For a moment, the kid didn't budge, only staring up at Hayato before surprising him by actually talking.

"You're Taka's older brother."

He didn't get why the kid was bringing it up, only nodding in affirmative, wondering if he should repeat his order for the boy to get going to the dining area.

"You're the Kamitani Ryuu-niisan's been talking about."

Hayato shrugged, still not getting it, already turning towards the doors to the hallway where Inomata and Kashima had run off to.

"They were right. Hayato-niisan's pretty cool."

Hayato paused at the younger boy's words, turning to look back but the kid was already walking towards the other end of the ballroom where a few waiters had stayed behind to usher him into the dining area. He had the strangest feeling of passing some sort of test for approval.

The Kashima brothers were a strange pair, Hayato thought dryly before entering the hallway.

* * *

Umi-san raised an eyebrow at him as he passed her to enter his office, giving her a curt nod. He wasn't in the mood to talk.

Fuck his father. Fuck those stupid ancient geezers. Fuck Inui acting like Kashima, no, Ryuuichi, was someone beneath him. Fuck Inomata for acting like she knew Ryuuichi.

Ok. He needed to calm the fuck down. He checked his private phone for any messages, suddenly feeling all the anger rush out of him as a familiar face and name blinked up at him from the screen.

Since the almost disastrous 'family' dinner, he'd wondered all month long as to what his father and Morinomiya were plotting. Now that he knew, now that he'd gotten himself involved, he felt an overwhelming sense of unease fill him.

They'd hung-out together a couple more times after the dinner, Ryuuichi and him, the shorter man insisting he call the other by his first name. He'd insisted in turn but Ryuuichi kept stumbling over Hayato's name, blushing like a school girl when Hayato had thought he couldn't get any redder after he'd tried Ryuuichi's name on his tongue.

The days since had seen Hayato in the best of moods and he'd foolishly ignored the nagging thought in his mind questioning the purpose of the dinner other than meeting a rival company. This was worse than a merger or a consolidation, worse than the company being bought out. In Hayato's opinion anyway. Everyone viewed the alliance as the best thing that could happen between two hulking companies whose influence extended globally. At what sacrifice though?

Hayato resisted the urge to call Ryuuichi, satisfying himself with staring at the smiley emoticons that accompanied simple greetings like 'hope you ate well' or nonsensical things like 'just hired a new social worker, teaching them the ropes'.

In less than a week, Hayato'd found himself gravitating toward the shorter man, relishing each message or phone call that were made with no other purpose other than to say hello.

Business had been stressful as usual but he'd catch himself texting back or calling if he could at odd times of the day, people who knew him noticing the change, especially his perceptive mother and even fucking Usaida.

Now though, now, he couldn't read the short messages without feeling a sense of guilt.

His business phone buzzed. He checked it before chucking it at one of the expensive recliners of his office.

Usaida had texted his business phone, where the older man usually texted Hayato's private phone.

_"The papers have already been drawn. We have already contacted Morinomiya-sama and negotiations are underway."_

Hayato barked out a humorless laugh, reading another message from Usaida, this time on his private phone.

_"I'm sorry, kid."_

Sorry. Sorry indeed. The only people who were going to be fucking sorry was Ryuuichi and himself. Ryuuichi more so.

In the short time he'd known the man, the most honest person he'd ever known, the first person Hayato had felt a true sense of belonging with, he'd discovered that he'd come to rely on the Ryuuichi's smiles, his laughter, his worried scolding.

They'd gone out as friends, getting closer by the day, maybe even by the hour. He'd met Morinomiya Youko in her own home, had accompanied Ryuuichi to Taka and Kotarou's first high-school festival.

If their schedules weren't so busy, they made it a point to grab lunch together, even dinner if Hayato wasn't off to a different corner of the world and Ryuuichi's coworkers forced him to leave early. And then there were those late night coffee breaks that had become a sort of ritual between the two of them. Hayato had met Nezu Chuukichi and the other Nezu siblings twice already.(One time they were unfortunate to find Yagi Tomoya there to pick up his boyfriend and Ryuuichi had thought the man perfectly nice, albeit a bit strange)

If he had time, he'd accompany Ryuuichi in fetching Kotarou, which ended up with him dropping off Taka at home before heading back to the office which he hadn't done since his high-school days. Shizuka had been unbearably on his case about it. Then she'd met Ryuuichi and learned the reason why the chore of picking up Taka from school(even if he didn't need to be, and so did Kotarou) had been revived and she'd been _unbearably_ ecstatic.

Kotarou had his private number, even Morinomiya's weird right hand man, Saikawa, had his number.

Fuck this, Hayato thought. Slumping himself down onto his chair, giving in to the urge of burying his face in his hands and losing his composure for the first time in years since Taka had been labeled a bastard and the family had refused to accept him officially.

Since meeting Kashima Ryuuichi, Hayato's life was filled with interesting things at every turn. The funny thing was that by maybe binding the guy to him for life, he risked losing all of it, Ryuuichi's kindness, Ryuuichi's understanding, Ryuuichi's friendship, Ryuuichi's trust.

Hayato had only ever truly wanted a few things in his life, and the thing he wanted the most at the moment, a want that suspiciously felt like a need, he was at risk of losing. He would be binding Ryuuichi to him and maybe even betraying a person he'd come to truly care for.

_Forgive me, Ryuuichi._

* * *

**A/N**

**So this was the second ha****l**f to the previous chapter which I had to cut**.**

**Ryuu's POV is coming next with a couple of others'. Which means fluffy-fluffy. Mostly. I guess. Heh. I promise there won't be a whole lot of drama. Much.**

**I think this will be the only time-skip-ey thing for this story though in the manga, there's almost always a time-skip in between chapters, months long even.**

**Keep in mind that these are POV's, points of view of the different characters because I suck at doing the other thing you do with writing a story, so there's some stuff going on that the characters don't know about. Hurhurhur.**

**I am itching, **_**itching**_** to write something that will make me change the rating into an 'M' but I'll warn you guys if it does eventually happen and it will most likely be contained in a chapter so some can just skip if it isn't your thing.**

**Reviews make me happy, so, uh, you know...**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N- been out of commission for a looong time so I hope the following updates will make up for it. This chapter is divided into sections that aren't exactly chronological in order. My mind, it is a messy place.**

**A ton of thanks to Rainbow Vein, yconne, Krystal, OwO, snabs, xxxSojournerOfTruthxxx, KitsuneNaru, pandahero, w- easy enough, Rikka-tan, hitomi65, and Hayarumi for the reviews, and thanks to all the readers who are following this. You guys are awesome and I can't reply to the anonies but still. This is for all the Hayato/Ryuuichi fangirls.**

**(Read in 3/4 format. Looks better that way. :smugface:)**

* * *

Chapter 4

Let me be a little selfish

* * *

Ryuu lay curled, spooned against the solid warmth Hayato's body provided beneath the sheets, legs tangled, and for a fuzzy moment, he entertained the thought of what they looked like, naked with mussed up hair, so entwined that if an outsider were looking, they wouldn't be able to place where one man started and the other ended.

He threaded his fingers through the slightly calloused hand that was tracing lazy circles on his belly. His breath hitched as he felt feather-light kisses cover the expanse of his nape and shoulders, as if his body still hadn't gotten used to the way Hayato mapped him out, all soft kisses and steady strength that hummed through the other's fingertips straight to Ryuu's body.

Hayato wasn't one to express himself through words or general expression but here, here in the space that was filled with just them, here, he showed everything to Ryuu. All the words were said in kisses and impulsive muttered whispers, and Ryuu soaked it in, soaked it all in.

He trembled, more to the memory of the way Hayato had said Ryuu's name over and over and over, like a sort of mantra, against sweat slicked skin, reverence in every letter, than to the way Hayato was stroking him in earnest now.

And he knew, without a doubt, that he would forgive this man for anything, this beautiful strong headed stubborn bull of a man, so Ryuu allowed himself to be selfish during their times like this. To take it all in and tuck it away in a secret place in his heart that foolishly heard what Hayato was not saying, what Hayato was saying through hot touches and searing looks, what he _hoped_ Hayato meant.

And that secret place in his heart would wait, just waiting, in quiet broken patience for a day that it too would be able to say the words out loud, clear and intended, not choked out in spurs of the moment, when his whole body was overwhelmed by pleasure, Hayato buried deep inside him.

Because he loved this man, this complicated man, wrapped around him in a way that said that the strong arms around him would never let him go, contract or no. And in this space filled by only them, he could pretend that his flights of fancies were true, that Hayato cared more than a friend, more than what some contract said, that Hayato would never let him go, that Hayato wanted him as much as his body did, that Hayato _loved_- -...

He shut down that train of thought quickly.

Ryuu was afraid, as fearless as he was, but he couldn't stop feeding the little part of him that hoped. So he couldn't say the words forever lodged in his throat, because once Hayato knew, there was no turning back and his heart might never get to hope again.

So Ryuu let himself be selfish, if even for a little while, and shifted in the embrace of those strong arms, turning to face him fully, dark eyes warm and meeting his unflinchingly.

And he let himself be selfish and pushed forward to steal a kiss, smiling into it as he felt the other man's own lips fit perfectly against his.

He could be selfish for a bit longer.

* * *

_Three weeks after the family dinner..._

Ryuu woke, warm and contented. Sunlight was poking tentatively through the drapes, signaling a bright morning for a new week. He stretched, unwilling to throw off the covers just yet. It was his day off, weeks already since the Sunshine Building's opening and the soiree they had at the Hebihara residence.

That night had been quite memorable. Other than meeting Hebihara Taizou in person, and Hebihara Inui, the future head of the family, he'd finally met the infamous Taka.

He hadn't made the connection between Kotarou's friend and the younger Kamitani, since Kotarou wasn't exactly chatty about school life and Hayato had only said he had a brother who was in highschool and who was mostly an idiot. Ryuu smiled, remembering the way he'd half-heartedly scolded Kamitani for refering to his brother as such.

Ryuu got up eventually, preparing for the day. Saikawa and the Chairman had left the other day for an appointment with an old friend of theirs and were due back that very afternoon. He took his time getting ready, having no plans, so he ended up reminiscing about the dinner with the Hebiharas.

The party had been mortifyingly awkward while he'd been forced to mingle with key members of the Hebihara company, becoming decidedly so when Kamitani had introduced himself as the illegitimate son of Hebihara Taizou when Ryuu had been confused why Kamitani was at the dinner after escaping his and Inomata-san's private...discussion.

Then, as always with the dark-haired man, everything had been surprisingly pleasant with Kamitani by his side though he had the strangest feeling of being constantly watched, observed, by Obaa-san, especially when he'd chosen to sit beside Kamitani during dinner, trading with Taka, the younger boy obvously fidgeting to sit beside Kotarou.

Kamitani had only raised an amused eyebrow at his expense. The other members of the company had been surprised, and, if he was right, a little bit displeased at the knowledge that he'd known Kamitani, when they'd been silently approving during his time socializing with Inomata-san and Inui-san.

Ryuu had been forced to make small talk with those seated near enough to speak to him but the obvious way Kamitani had been excluded from conversations made something like indignation well up in him. He was rarely one to get angered by something that wasn't any of his business, upset, yes, angry enough to become pointedly rude during a conversation? Never.

The Kamitani among the people who were supposedly his family was different, and not in a good way, to the Kamitani Ryuu had met. When he'd noticed that Taka was also subject to similar treatment though too busy chatting with Kotarou to notice, Ryuu had felt truly angry, ready to remark on it despite being a guest, but a firm hand on his arm had stilled him.

Dark eyes that had looked a bit distant all night, had warmed with something Ryuu could not place. He got the feeling that Kamitani was trying to tell him it was all right. They were _used_ to it.

It wasn't alright at all and he didn't understand the treatment the Kamitani brothers were being subject to. Taizou-san hadn't even done anything to prevent it, and they were supposed to be a _family_, dammit, but those eyes, those eyes had looked at Ryuu like Kamitani knew what Ryuu was thinking, what Ryuu had planned to do.

The small crooked upturn of lips that Ryuu supposed Kamitani had thought was a reassuring smile only made him feel worse but it had deflated his anger. The small squeeze the taller man had given his arm conveyed everything from gratefulness to a feeling of comfort. It had been a strange turn of things. He'd ended up being the one needing comforting.

Kamitani had explained later that evening when they'd walked off to the privacy of a grand balcony, that they were indeed used to it. When Ryuu had sputtered out words to convey his dismay, Hayato had told him it was okay, and the way the taller man's arm brushed against his with a quietly uttered 'thank you' made Ryuu's heart melt into a pathetic puddle of goo.

Ryuu found breakfast already prepared for him as he made his way to the luxurious kitchen. As he ate, his phone buzzed, distracting him with a welcome name flashing on the screen. He answered it immediately, pancakes and eggs forgotten, a wide grin on his face.

"Good morning, Kamitani, I hadn't expected to hear from you today. When will you be back in Japan?" Ryuu asked, pushing off from the table to walk outside a set of glass doors that lead to the gardens, leaning easily and relaxed against the doorframe.

_"Morning. Just arrived at the airport actually. The conference had ended a bit earlier than expected. Did you just wake up?"_

"Oh, no. I'm just about to finish breakfast really."

_"Alright. It's your day off so I thought we could hang out again. Taka mentioned something about a festival you wanted to go to."_

The steady familiar voice of the dark-haired man did all sorts of things to Ryuu's insides.

"Yes, I actually _was_ planning on accompanying Kotarou and Taka-kun to a festival a few districts away from the city center. How'd you know it was my day off anyway?"

_"Kotarou told Taka to tell me."_

"Oh, so it's a play-date then." Ryuu joked, chuckling quietly to himself.

_"You do seem to like calling the times we hang out as dates."_

"Wha-what? That's not-"

Ryuu sputtered, feeling himself go almost as red as his hair, only to stop when an odd sound that sounded suspiciously like snickering came from the other end.

"You-you're teasing me!"

_"I don't tease. Get ready, I'll pick you up in an hour."_

"But the festival's not until later this afternoon." Ryuu questioned, though he was already starting to clean up, heading back inside, moving about deftly, using a hand, and sometimes his shoulder to keep the phone pressed up against his ear.

_"Yeah, but I thought we could grab an early lunch and do something before we pick up the kids."_

That...for a moment, something else crossed Ryuu's mind, the idea of picking up _kids_, _their _kids was-no, he wasn't going to think about it, what the heck? Why did the idea even cross his mind? It took him a moment too long to reply.

"They're not kids, Kamitani, they're in _high school_, almost adults." Ryuu deflected.

_"Right. Have you actually met Taka? Anyway, I'm on the way."_

"Okay. See you in a bit."

And with that Ryuu started preparing for another day with his ridiculously handsome friend, and if he spent a little too long picking out an outfit he thought wouldn't embarrass him much, no one was there to judge him.

* * *

Ryuu wrapped his hands around the steaming mug of coffee, a small smile playing on his lips. Kichi-kun, Nezu-kun's younger brother who was on shift that night, had managed to convince him in trying out the shop's newest experimental brew and although the kid was graduating high school soon, he and the other Nezu siblings were turning out to be quite the baristas.

"Sorry about that."

Kamitani grumbled, taking his seat across Ryuu as he slipped his business phone back into his pocket. Ryuu only smiled at him, amused. Whoever the caller was, they'd been extremely persistent since Kamitani and Ryuu had dropped of the kids, even when the taller man had put the phone on vibrate.

Ryuu had insisted Kamitani take the calls but the taller man had been stubbornly resolute, going so far as to throwing the gadget into the car's backseat when they arrived infront of their usual coffee (tea for him) place, _Lucky_ _Siblings Cafe_.

It wasn't until Ryuu had wiggled his way, twisting around against his seatbelt, ass almost to Kamitani's face, to dive and grab blindly for the phone that had still been vibrating noisily, did the dark haired man _almost_ throw up his hands in defeat and left his driver's seat, fishing out the phone and growling an angry '_what?!_'. The way Kamitani's voice had lowered, sounding heavy and heated, sent a strange tingle through Ryuu's belly. Weird.

"It's alright. Was it an emergency?" said Ryuu, before taking a tentative sip at his coffee.

"Not even. Yagi was at the office earlier and apparently even Inomata can't handle him. Usaida wasn't any much help since he pretty much encourages that weirdo's habit of turning up unannounced."

Ryuu gave an apologetic smile. Kamitani wasn't fond of Yagi Tomoya. Kotarou and Taka weren't either. Ryuu supposed the blond man was just a bit on the excess when it came to his...eccentricity with teenagers and the like.

They had wandered around for a bit during the festival, only barely keeping Taka and Kotarou in sight as Hayato and Ryuu took their time picking through different interesting stalls. Lunch had been pleasant and Ryuu felt warm and content.

Though he wasn't exactly keeping count because that would be weird, he could say that this was his fourth date with the taller man, not counting the dinner with the Hebihara's nor the times they picked up Kotarou and Taka from school when either Kamitani or he had the time nor the times they had their lunch breaks together at different quaint restaurants _nor _the times they almost always ended up here in the coffee shop in the middle of the night before going their separate ways.

"Are you enjoying your coffee?"

The familiar voice surprised Ryuu from his musings. He turned to see the shop's owner, Nezu Chuukichi, having just entered and still with scarf and coat.

"Oh, yes, very much, though I still prefer tea, your new special blend tastes quite good, Nezu-kun."

"Thank you. I'm glad you liked it, Kashima-kun. Your opinion, Kamitani-kun?"

The shaggy-haired owner turned to Kamitani this time.

"It's good though you aren't getting much customers." replied Kamitani.

"Well, you two _have _been coming at strange hours and our most loyal patrons yet so your opinion and suggestions are very much welcome. If you'll excuse me, I have to go handle the bar. Kichi and Suekichi will be leaving soon and the nightshift employees will be coming in."

The other man made to leave before Kamitani mumbled something in passing about 'pervert boyfriends' and 'keeping them in line'. Nezu-kun gave a small bow showing that he'd heard.

Ryuu resisted the urge to grin, only smiling a bit as he continued to sip at his coffee.

"Really, Kamitani, you can't just go on telling on Yagi-san to his boyfriend." he scolded.

"..."

As always, when those dark eyes focused on him, Ryuu felt his cheeks heat.

"So you don't mind?"

Ryuu blinked, wondering.

"Don't mind about what?" he asked for clarification.

"About them being gay."

Hayato said the words, face impassive as usual.

"Not really, no. I think if you love someone, I don't think that it should matter if they're the opposite sex or not."

"..."

"Why? Do you mind?"

For once Ryuu had never stopped to think about Kamitani as the type to care about men being attracted to other men but he'd only known the taller man for a short, albeit quite revealing, time and for some reason the thought that Kamitani had an issue with it made him feel anxious.

"No, I don't either." replied the stoic man.

Part of Ryuu was relieved and a little bit unsurprised while the rest was quite curious.

"So, have you..." Ryuu started before trailing off, realizing that he might be crossing a line by asking.

"No, I've never had relations with other men before but I have no qualms about having a relationship with one of the same sex..."

"Oh." Ryuu didn't know what to say, heart beating irrationally eratically for some reason.

"But the technicalities of the actual act of having sex with a man is not too far to grasp."

Ryuu choked on his coffee, the hot liquid going down the wrong path as he tried to cough it out. He continued to cough in fits while a strong big warm hand patted him firmly on the back. He stared at Kamitani with incredulity, unable to reply to the taller man's most recent statement, said dark-haired man looking unfazed and only slightly concerned at Ryuu's coughing.

Kamitani dropped him off at the Morinomiya household, the rest of the night going by in a daze.

Ryuu absolutely did not go to bed thinking about the idea of Hayato and sex. He did not.

* * *

Inui strolled in casually through the glass doors of the agency. He'd managed to escape Taizou's office unscathed, Usaida trailing after him, ending up buying lunch for the slacker. He sighed heavily, reminded of his appointment with the lawyer later that day as they went over his contract with Inui and Yousuke's current agency.

He proceeded to the next floor, the main studio for most of the in-house shoots they did, and sure enough, Sawatari Yukari's latest add campaign's photo shoot was well-underway.

Not wanting to bother her or the photographer (seriously, nobody dared to bother Kumatsuka Satoru when he was in the zone, especially if one were male and valued their life), Inui slinked off to the refreshments area, brow furrowing as he noticed a kid by the food stands.

The kid was wearing what looked to be a middle-school uniform and she wasn't alone. Standing by was a creepy looking man with a scraggly beard and thick glasses that reflected the lights. Inui tamped down the urge to growl, already preparing himself mentally as the taller bear-like man spotted him, hand outstretched.

Sawatari Yutaka, Yukaricchi's husband and Inui's rival (not that anybody knew other than Inui). The middle-schooler must be the 'Midori-chan' Yukari keeps talking about.

He shakes the other man's hand stiffly, barely hearing the warm greeting as he nodded back, fully intending on locking himself up in the nearest coffee room away from the homeless looking man and his kid.

"...and this is Midori-chan, our daughter. I don't believe you've met."

This time, Inui turned to the kid, finding a pretty cute girl staring up at him defiantly. Definitely Yukari's daughter.

"No, we haven't but Yukari-san has told me so much about you, Midori-chan." Inui said smoothly, already leaning down to hold a petite hand to his lips.

That earned him a pretty blush from the girl, who, if he looked closer, looked quite like Yukari from the actress' earlier modeling days as a teen. He backed away, sensing the menacing aura from the girl's father. Huh.

"Nice to meet you both. Please excuse me, I have to talk to my manager." said Inui as he scanned the room, hoping to catch sight of said manager as an excuse.

He ignored the small ache in his chest as he shot one last glance at Yukari, the model already finishing up her shoot and walking towards her family with a beautiful smile on her face, Inui walking out of there quickly to find Yayoi, and maybe convince the older woman to let him have a drink in the office this time.

* * *

"Well, anything interesting?"

Morinomiya Youko glowered at her right hand man from behind her desk.

"Is the Kamitani boy behaving?" she prompted again.

"As per usual, the investigators sent to trail after Ryuuichi-sama and Kamitani-sama find no suspicious activities. Based on the photos, it can be said that Ryuuichi-sama has been enjoying himself on their leisurely outings and Kamitani-sama seems a respectable young man, though, I have to ask, are you sure about this, chairman?" replied Saikawa calmly with a little bow.

"It doesn't matter if I'm sure about this or not. Everything will depend on Ryuuichi and it will be his choice in the end."

True enough, she knew having Ryuuichi and the Kamitani-boy followed during their 'not-dates' wasn't quite right even if she justified it by wanting to protect the soft boy who she'd learned to love as family. But she had to be as sure as she could possibly be in their situation.

The idea about the deal hadn't been hers entirely and it had started mostly as a fanciful joke during one of the board meetings showing Hebihara shares skyrocketing in the past two years, still quite behind Morinomiya's but close enough to make some of the directors nervous.

She'd ended up brooding over it for years since Ryuu's latest failed relationship with that one girl who didn't quite fit in right with their odd family.

"Make an appointment with Taizou. We have a deal to negotiate."

She did not need to hear the words to know that Saikawa was disapproving of the whole manner but her right man obeyed. She hoped Ryuuichi would understand. She hoped that the future, _Ryuu's_ future, was worth the pain.

* * *

Taizou rubbed at his temples, the noise becoming almost unbearable. Seated around the conference table were his 'cousins' and a few surviving aunts and uncles. _Kami_, why did he ever stop drinking?

Oh. That's right. Shizuka had lectured him about the dangers of drinking more than a glass of wine a day so he'd stopped. Mostly because she'd been pregnant with Hayato at the time and had been adamant that if she couldn't drink away her sorrows of having to be surrounded by _'stubborn idiotic Hebihara geezers' _and their _'stupid rules'_, neither could he.

Usaida, seated closest to him, looked grumpy, which was a first.

"This is such a bad idea. I can't believe Morinomiya is going through with this."

Though the words were mumbled, Taizou heard it anyway. He couldn't find it in himself to correct the younger man, unprofessional as he was. He sighed heavily before glaring at the rest of the occupants of the table until silence prevailed.

"Morinomiya Youko has accepted the deal though the papers and stipulations will be negotiated in private by myself and Usaida along with the Morinomiya party. It is a private matter of which no other will be concerned and this issue is non-debatable, a specific condition by Morinomiya herself."

Taizou sent another glare around the room, sensing indignation in many of the elders, quelling any foolish attempts of protest before they started.

"All the board needs to know is that the deal will push through. Kamitani Hayato, my illegitimate son, will be bound to a civil partnership with Kashima Ryuuichi, heir apparent to the Morinomiya Empire, thus binding our two companies on a level far above any business transaction, a merger of two great families."

He could see a few quieting down at his words but he knew there were still many that needed convincing on Hayato's role in all this. Taizou himself had been surprised that Youko had readily agreed to the proposition though he knew better than to anticipate an easy deal. The old woman was likely planning something but for what purpose, Taizou did not know.

* * *

_"You know, Kamitani, you should really just start calling me by my first name."_

_Warm almond-green eyes caught him in their spell._

_"Alright. Ryuuichi it is then."_

_That earned him a flustered look and accompanying laugh._

_"Now call me by my name."_

_"Hayato."_

_He couldn't fight off the smile even if he wanted to._

* * *

_A month and a week since the family dinner..._

Hayato felt numb, seated where he was with a pen in hand, papers laid out for him, Usaida and Taizou on either side of him.

In retrospect, he should have anticipated this, should've anticipated the way his body reacted at the mere presence of Ryuuichi after a week's long depravation from it. Since finding about the deal and putting himself forward as the best possible candidate, he'd cut off contact with the red head. It had been agonizing.

The week had been pretty much hellish. He'd had a shouting match with almost everyone closest to him, his mother, Taka, Umi, even fucking Usaida who rarely ever lost his cool.

He'd talked to his father about signing the papers separately but Morinomiya's chairman had apparently insisted.

And now, seated across him was the one man he'd hoped to avoid. Ryuuichi, with his downcast eyes, hurt evident in every corner of his perfectly beautiful face, looking younger than Hayato had ever seen him, looking at everything but Hayato.

Hayato would be damned before he gave in to the knife-like feeling gutting him so he looked straight on. The shorter man had yet to speak during the entire meeting so when a quiet voice broke the thick silence in the room, all eyes turned to him.

"I- -I would like to speak to Ha- -Kamitani-san alone, please, before the papers are signed."

A frozen minute passed before the rest of the occupants shuffled out of the room, Morinomiya shooting a glare in Hayato's direction while Usaida gave him a small squeeze on the shoulder.

He'd never felt so afraid in his life.

He'd expected screaming, accusations of betrayal, of _'how could you do this?! Were you aiming for the company all along?! Is that why you befriended me?!'_ and he'd been prepared to weather through it in stony silence.

What he wasn't anticipating was the quiet _"Why?"_ that passed through Ryuuichi's lips, wasn't expecting the blow he would feel when those green eyes, so obviously filled with hurt, finally met his.

"I..." he wanted to explain despite having resolutely deciding to _not_ say anything. It was just, he wanted to say anything, do anything just so that look of hurt on Ryuuichi's face would go away.

Fuck. What could he possibly say? That he'd conspired to leave Ryuuichi with no choice in choosing his partner for life? That he'd done it all for Ryuuichi? That he couldn't bare the thought of the shorter man, his friend (dare he think, _bestfriend_), be bound to Inui or Inomata or much less a stranger?

"Please tell me why? I thought we'd been getting along so well, then suddenly you stopped returning my calls or answering any of my messages and I thought something must've happened but Taka said you were alright- -"

"Wait, what?" Hayato blurted out before he could catch himself. Ryuuichi had gone back to staring at the glass conference table between them during his rambling, face red and upset. _Kami_, how he wanted to kiss that look away. No. He wasn't going to think about that right now. Was Ryuuichi really...?

"You're not asking why I betrayed you?" He asked, incredolous, hope already creeping up on him.

"Betrayed? No, I'm asking why- -why have you been avoiding me? Is it something I said? I've been trying to come up for a reason for why you suddenly hate me and I- -"

Hayato stood abruptly, striding around the table to plant himself firmly before Ryuuichi, brows drawn together.

"I don't hate you."

He watched too-big green eyes blink up at him slowly, confusion all over the shorter man's face.

"You don't..."

"I. Don't. Hate. You. Are you an idiot? You should be angry at me, not worrying about why I'm avoiding you."

"But you're my friend and of course I should be worried." And this time Ryuuichi stands up waving his hands in punctuation to his statement.

"You should be angry at my company, at your grandmother, at _me_ for forcing all of this upon you!"

Hayato forces out, frustrated that Ryuuichi still hasn't gotten it but at least the shorter man looks contemplating though still troubled.

"I'm...I'm not mad. Although the deal had been done behind my back, I know obaa-san wouldn't do anything to intentionally hurt or upset me and she's only always thinking about my and the company's future. I was only hesitant about all this since you seemed reluctant and didn't want anything to do with me."

The red head looked calm to match his explanation which confounded Hayato even more.

"So you would marry anyone because your grandmother says so?" He can't quite keep the accusing tone in his voice. He didn't understand why the thought of that made him even angrier.

"No! It's just that...I'm more worried about you! How about you? Why did you agree? Why would you be okay getting tied down with me?"

"I did it because I thought that if you had to marry someone, let it be at least someone you know and I don't have any other prospects really. I volunteered."

"But then you started avoiding me and I..."

Ryuuichi made a short frustrated sound, eyes wide and darting around the room, looking for an exit.

"I only avoided you because I thought you'd hate what those geezers are trying to do, controlling your life, and me playing a part of it. I...If it's alright, I still want to be your- -your friend."

Ryuuichi stills before turning to face Hayato straight on, a tentative smile finally_ finally_ showing on his face, looking so painfully hopeful.

"I don't think I can ever hate you, Hayato."

He doesn't know if it's the declaration that Ryuuichi can never hate him or the way the shorter man says his name. All Hayato knows is that he's well and truly fucked. He's in love with this man, this insanely kind, honest, unassuming man, and he can't quite keep the wonder in his voice.

"You- -you're incredible."

Hayato ignores the startled sound Ryuuichi makes as he envelopes the shorter man in a hug. _Kami_, he felt considerably lighter since finding about the deal but the weight of the revelation that he _loved_ Ryuuichi stayed heavy in his gut. He'd deal with the guilt later. Right now, he's too busy teasing the way Ryuuichi was turning as red as his hair.

_Kami_, he was so fucked.

* * *

**A/N- **

**I can't believe this is like 20K+ words already. Gurgh. So far ch.33 of GB is translated and it be all sweet and awesome.**

**Review please and leave me thoughts on the pairings because I have some ideas but I can't say it just yet because I might end up spoiling myself.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Warnings: mature thoughts, angst, liberal use of parentheses, author pretty much jumping POVs**

**Thanks to all those who reviewed/favorite-ed/followed and the lovely support you guys have been giving through reading this. A late New Year's present for you all...**

**(Read in 3/4 format)**

* * *

Chapter 5

I'll meet you at the bottom (I'm already there, fallen)

* * *

_"Ha-hayato..."_

_His name is panted out, pitching up into a whine._

_He gives in, pressing forward to cover those sinful lips with his own, shutting the shorter man up before Hayato truly lost it with all the fucking delicious sounds the other was making._

_"Please. Hayato. Please." and the writhing form beneath him is pleading, sending a strange rush through Hayato's blood._

Kami_, he was so close. He slipped a hand between them, pumping the other's cock in desperation. He wasn't going to come before Ryuu, not yet. Then..._

_The other arched his back as he came, a glorious form of slicked milk white skin, lovely face framed by red hair that was plastered down by sweat, his shoulders thrown back, hips canting off the bed completely as Hayato continued to pump forward unmercifully._

_'Soclosesoclosegodsoperfectpe rfectsoclose...'_

Hayato woke with a gasp, an involuntary hand around his already softening cock. He grimaced at the feel of his cum stained boxers, slipping it off quickly along with his undershirt as he got up, slightly stumbling towards the bathroom.

When was the last time he had a wet dream that_ intense_? Fuck, when was the last time he'd actually come from just a wet dream?

Every waking moment was already filled with thoughts of Ryuu, now he had dreams too? Not even a week and he was already lusting after his 'husband'(the word still sounded funny in his mind).

He yanked at the shower knob, turning the warm water to cold as he forced his body to cool.

After two weeks of getting to know Ryuu, he couldn't have denied the more than friendly attraction that was building inside him toward the other man but he'd mostly ignored it since he hadn't been too sure whether Ryuu was even interested in him that way.

Then the_ 'deal' _happened with the added stress of figuring out you were in love with the other party, _and_ _then _they'd pretty much gotten married, papers signed, judge present, the whole shebang.

He still wasn't convinced the whole contract thing was a good idea but, apparently, the papers had already been filed (the Morinomiya's had insisted on handling the rest of the paperwork and filing).

It was just that, (and here he gave a resigned sigh, shutting the shower) he realized he loved Ryuuichi, fucking _loved _the most honest person he knew, the first person who even came the closest to a best friend for him.

And now he was pretty much getting into the lusting stage for a _guy_ who only saw him as a friend, oh, and they were fucking _married _(at least living separately for now, thank _Kami_, because he wasn't sure he would be able to keep himself from jumping Ryuu now that Hayato's body had caught up with the whole _'wanting Ryuu'_ deal).

He entertained the thought of confessing to Ryuuichi before squashing the idea completely, laughing dryly.

Even if Ryuu was okay with homosexuality, heck, had even agreed to getting partnered for life with another guy, it didn't mean the shorter man would ever return Hayato's feelings.

Hayato was certain Ryuu would try though, for Hayato's sake and their 'marriage', Ryuu was sure to try his best to return Hayato's feelings if he knew how Hayato was starting to feel toward him.

For some reason, using Ryuu's kindness to have Hayato's feelings returned made Hayato feel much _much_ worse than when he'd thought he'd be forcing Ryuu into a marriage the shorter man would hate.

It wouldn't be _pity_ exactly, but the idea that Ryuu would be more than willing to try and return the romantic feelings for the sake of their friendship rankled deeply inside Hayato. Fuck if he was ever going to confess now.

Hayato pressed his forehead against the cool tiles, arousal long gone, whether from the cold water or the direction his thoughts were taking, he didn't know.

There was, of course, still a tiny possibility of Ryuu condemning Hayato's feelings in disgust instead of accepting and trying to return it but that possibility was infinitesimally small. He was dealing with _Kashima Ryuuichi_ here.

He stepped out of the shower, drying himself on a soft towel nearby, padding quietly to his room. The sky through his apartment's glass walls looked considerably lighter but still no sun in sight. He dressed for a day at home, a whole week free as some sort of 'honeymoon', a sick joke by the more humorous Hebihara board members.

By the end of the week, it was expected that he'd be moving into the Kashima household in fulfillment of a few terms in the contract.

For reasons still unknown (though Hayato assumed it was because Morinomiya Youko wasn't completely heartless in selling out her adopted grandson after all), the Morinomiya's chairman had insisted on a term stating Hayato live with Ryuuichi at their main house for a period of six months, a prescriptive period during which either party will be given one chance to put forth a reason as to why the partnership should not continue.

Hayato had seen it as an escape clause and though he hadn't voiced it, he had been grateful for the clause.

It lessened the guilt from binding Ryuu to him and gave Ryuu the chance to back out, give Ryuu the chance to choose and maybe even fall in love with someone who wasn't Hayato. The thought made something painful well up in Hayato but he supposed it was for the best.

In six months, he could show at least some more-than-friendly attention to Ryuu, saying the other's nickname out loud without giving an explanation and it would be seen as though he were truly trying for the marriage to work.

In six months, no one would be able to call him out on monopolizing Ryuu's time without cause.

In six months, Ryuu would be his, then after which the redhead would be someone else's, finding love with some quiet girl and they would live a normal married couple's life.

Hayato beat the pain away, suppressing it all. Just the thought, the image of Ryuu happy with someone who was _not-Hayato_...

He belatedly noticed that his hands were already curled into fists. He forced himself to relax, schooling his features as he picked up his business phone and dialed Usaida's number.

* * *

"Usa-chan."

"...zzz..."

"Hey, _Usa-chan_."

"...zzz..."

"Omigawd, are you seriously asleep right now?!"

Usaida Yoshihito, renowned lawyer and all-around go to guy, blinked his sleep heavy eyes open to see the scrunched up face of the most adorable middle-schooler he knew hovering over him.

"You know how your dad feels about you using expletives, Midori-chan." he said lazily, yawning as he stretched a bit on the lovely _lovely_ couch.

_Kami_, he was getting old. That still didn't stop his former sempais from dumping him with the job of babysitting their kids from time to time.

"Yeah, and you know how mom feels about you falling asleep during our 'playtime'."

He can practically see the air quotes around the last word. He sighs, not for the first time missing the times when sarcasm was still a foreign concept to the kids.

"But I thought you were going over to Kirin-chan's place to gush about the latest idol or something."

He gets up, barely batting an eyelash at his already rumpled suit. He hadn't had enough time to even change since arriving but long used to it. A week drafting the bloody deal, little to no sleep, he was entitled to cheating on his bed with his heavenly couch for a while.

His normally messy (but let's not forget it's a penthouse suit) apartment is pristine save for the horribly pink and glittery _things_ littering his coffee table, spilling over to the carpet. In the center of it all is his charge for the day, sitting huffily with a pout among the mess of middle-school girl stuff.

"I _was_ supposed to but she's busy. Her class is putting up a play for the school festival and Taka is making a mess of it all."

He picks his way through the war zone of teeny-bopper magazines and various bottles of nail-polish, making a mental note to charge Sawatari Yutaka a hundred or so dollars more if he was going to have to suffer through another horrendous mani-pedi (though he could admit Midori was way better than the Mamizuka twins in actually covering only his nails and not spilling everything everywhere).

"Well, how about gushing about a boy then? Want to do that with me?" Yoshihito says teasingly while carelessly looking for the remote to the TV. He turns back to Midori, wondering at her silence, to find her blushing.

"Don't tell me my sweet innocent Midori-chan has a crush to gush about? Oh no, my sweet Midori-chan maybe no longer mine." He teases, adding a fake hurt expression.

"Don't be such a drama queen, Usa-chan."

He chuckles to himself as she rolls her eyes at him.

"So who's the lucky, or should I say unlucky, boy?"

"Hmph." is her answer as she crosses her arms once again, turning her nose up.

"I could always tell Sawatari-san." he adds, cocking his brow with a bluff.

"You wouldn't! Daddy will freak out!"

Midori looks at him wide eyed, unsure if he would really do it.

"Yes, yes he will." he says calmly, fishing out his phone from somewhere on the couch along with the remote control.

"Fine. You actually know him anyway." The reluctance in her tone makes him want to tease her some more but the idea that he knows the boy she might have a crush on is more amusing than anything.

He can't really imagine her seeing Taka, Koutarou, or either of the Mamizuka twins as anything more than an older brother. Actually thinking about it, he can't really come to imagine any possible pairing with any of his charges.

He flicks the TV on absentmindedly as he watches her, waiting for her to spill but just then a commercial that's been running as the most popular with teens as of late goes on to play. He knows it just by the background music and message but he watches in surprise as Midori goes from pink to red, eyes glued to the TV.

He turns his head to look over his shoulder only to see Inui doing something flashy on the wide plasma screen, turning to looks straight into the camera with what people would call an 'intense' gaze. He turned back to Midori who was looking at anything but the screen, blushing furiously, before he turned back to the screen.

Ok. No. That was not happening.

His mind was still a bit fuzzy while he answered the buzzing phone in his hand absentmindedly. He was met with a certain Kamitani's voice and yeah, okay, dealing with the current crisis of his innocent Midori falling for the likes of Hebihara Inui could wait.

* * *

Ryuu went through his day as usual, with diligence and industry. Well, that's how it looked on the outside.

Truthfully, he was freaking out. He'd caught himself in a daze several times before he forced himself to leave his duties early. He was never going to get any work done at this rate.

Without really thinking, he was about to call Kamitani-er-Hayato but he caught himself in time, just staring at the green call icon on the screen bellow Hayato's name and the thumbnail showing the taller man taken during that one festival out with the kids.

He'd never really noticed before but Hayato was pretty much the most contacted person on his phone followed closely by Kotarou and Saikawa. It was strange how he had subconsiously scrolled to that particular number, a small niggling part of him suspiciously saying he would feel infinitely better if he heard Hayato's soothing voice.

He brushed the thought aside, already used to the strange ideas popping out in worrying frequency over the past few days.

Hayato would be moving in with him tonight and though Ryuu had pretty much spent the preceding week in unabating anxiety, the nerves had not died down in the least.

Obaa-san had granted them the entire south wing, their own set of rooms, kitchens and dining area. It had all seemed outrageously excessive but then the chairman had gone and hinted on something than sounded suspiciously like 'honeymoon' and 'making like bunnies' so Ryuu could only stare speechless at the idea of it all.

It wasn't until two days after the signing of the deal did it really hit him that he was married, _married_ to his friend, married to an awfully beautiful man who was honest and blunt and magnetic and- -and everything Ryuu admired in a person.

He may or may not have called in sick to have a major freak out in the privacy of his bedroom when it did hit him that yes, his attractive friend was now his husband, his partner for life (or, well, until either one of them defaulted on the six month prescriptive period).

During said major freak out, he'd gone over the short time he'd known Hayato, dissecting each interaction and emotion that accompanied the memory, feeling horribly guilty for the flash of selfish joy that had hit him briefly when Obaa-san had informed him about the marriage deal.

And then the chairman had been relentless in dropping hints on the goings on behind a newlywed couple's bedroom doors. At least Obaa-san was the only one who thought getting into bed with Hayato was a good idea. Saikawa had not voiced any opinion on the matter but had offered unsolicited help as much as he could by stocking several books and articles if Ryuu had trouble with- -ah- -the technical aspect of things.

Ryuu had worried about Kotarou's reaction to it all but his younger brother had only seemed...pensive? Though the younger Kashima had quietly insisted on sleeping in the same bed with Ryuu for the last time before Hayato moved in.

Ryuu had spent the rest of the week being a nervous wreck over the idea that the only person he could ever feasibly share a bed with would be Hayato from then on. (He may have hyperventilated a little after the thought crossed his mind)

Gathering as much courage as he could that moment, Ryuu sent a short message to Hayato asking what time the other man would be ready for his things to get picked up. The only plus side he could see to all this was that Hayato still wanted to be friends with Ryuu and didn't hate him. Even if they would, at some point, have to share a bed together.

He entered his car while waiting for the reply, deciding last minute to drop by _Lucky Siblings_, picking his usual tea and a cup of Hayato's preferred coffee mix to go.

He hoped the coffee wouldn't be too cold when Hayato got home.

Home. Their home. The warmth pooling in his belly definitely had everything to do with the tea in his hand and nothing to do with that thought. Nothing at all.

* * *

He'd find out later that denial isn't, in fact, only a river in Egypt.

* * *

Slipping into his side of the luxurious bed while listening to Hayato's even breathing isn't _awkward_ exactly, just a bit strange.

After a while, Ryuu gives in to a week's worth of anxiety, nerves, and exhaustion, falling asleep, Hayato's breathing reduced to a constant pattern at the edge of his consciousness.

It's quite nice, his mind utters quietly before the soft darkness takes over. And if he feels the space between their bodies is too wide, he doesn't give it much thought.

* * *

He finds Hayato just stepping out of the bathroom, dressed in a comfortable looking white cotton shirt and loose beige pants. Ryuu greets him a good morning with a smile.

So far, the first day of their new living arrangement is looking good. He gets up, pyjamas hanging low on his hips as he stretches, yawning unashamedly as his thing sleeping shirt rides up over his belly button.

As he straightens, he thinks Hayato might have been watching him. Probably not.

They have breakfast in the vast well aired dining room, the servants efficient and unobtrusive.

All in all, it _is _quite nice, the momentary awkwardness from the night before long gone, thinks Ryuu.

Hayato and he carry on as before. Friends with easy conversations, the occasional argument easily resolved with both parties' respectful 'agree to disagree' attitude. The only difference is that they share a bed and bathroom (the bed being excessively large and so with the bath). This goes on for a month, and all seems well.

Of course that is when everything changes and Ryuu finds he can be quite selfish after all.

* * *

**A/N- dundundu~un!**

**Sorry, had to cut this in half because it was turning up to be another monster chapter (so this pretty much ended up as, hopefully, the shortest chapter)**

**Warnings for the next chapter: sexytimes. Really. So for those who aren't into the more graphic-er-parts of manxman relationships, yeah, uh, just scroll past.**

**Thanks again for all the lovely reviews and support. Classes have already begun again, *sighs* and I still have my internship to worry about so here's to hoping I get to finish this up sooner rather than later.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Warnings: Hayato and his dirty thoughts, some angsting maybe? pining? I don't even. Oh, and liberal use of parentheses.**

**The rating has been upgraded to 'M' and some stuff might be too graphic for some so, uh, scroll through it. You won't miss much.**

**BTW, the cover for this has nothing to do with the story, just me poking fun and stuff.**

**This was supposed to be the second half of chapter 5 but decided to split it into two different chapters.**

**Huge thanks to FavoredChild, Swt Cutie, Beautifulyyaoilover93, Rikka-tan, Evil Kitty Dictator, snabs and all the rest.**

**Thanks again for everybody's continuous support through reviews, faves, and follows. I haven't time to reply to your reviews but you guys must know you're all kinds of awesome. **

**(Read in 3/4 format please. I have the puppy-dog eyes on so you better)**

* * *

Chapter 6

Silent

* * *

It happens when he least expects it, really. But as unexpected as it is, Ryuu finds himself not as surprised as he thought he would be.

It had gone like this:

Hayato'd just returned from some business in Taiwan (the taller man still remaining a CEO of their company despite living under the roof of Morinomiya Company's chairman. How that works without any trappings of corporate espionage, nobody is really clear on) and they'd spent an evening out with Kotarou and Taka since school was out for the day.

They'd just dropped Taka off, Kotarou deciding to leave Hayato and Ryuu to the privacy of the enormous study that came with the set of rooms allotted to the married couple, and Hayato had been in the middle of recounting a funny anecdote with a completely deadpan expression when Ryuu, smiling like a goof across the taller man, almost blurts an affectionate _'God, I love you, Hayato.'_ and it's not funny, not funny at all, how he chokes on his own saliva, blinking at the urge to say it, the words on the tip of his tongue.

Ryuu had experienced many things in his past relationships but never that, never the sudden urge to confess one's affections, never the heat that sparked inside along with those words, and wow, looking back, he felt a bit sorry for all the heartbreak he'd caused.

So here he was, sitting idly at his office table, barely reading the different forms he's supposed to be signing and proofing (the Sunshine department handling most if not all of the grants that goes to said department and gratuitous disbursements approved by the government and the company), completely and utterly aware of an emotion that feels like it's been there for forever.

He sighs, thunking his head onto his desk, unworried that any moment an employee could just enter his spacious office and see him in a boneless heap.

He can't really tell Hayato.

Though the urge to tell it is strong, he actually isn't familiar with the mechanics of confessing since he'd only accepted proposals in the past.

He can't quite imagine the scenario where he says "Hey Hayato, how was work? Oh, by the way, I'm in love with you and I think I've been since you brought the kids and I to that festival last month..." going well.

Well, alright, that isn't the main reason he can't. It's mostly that he's...afraid.

Afraid of how Hayato would react.

He checks his phone, smiling at a few pics Kotarou had sent, some high school project about hatching chicks or the like. He sent a short message in reply with a smile before sighing again as his brooding state took over.

Rejection was a foreign concept to him and he'd never been on the receiving end, also, Ryuu was confident he _knew_ Hayato, just...he's not sure if he knows the taller man enough to predict a likely outcome. Ryuu is many things, experienced in relationships but he's rarely had the opportunity to take risks. He'd never really had to.

Now though, he feels like he would be risking it all, their easy married life, _their friendship_, (and just the thought of that is unbearable) if he confessed. He knew it was horrible to assume but he didn't think Hayato was one for long term _romantic_ relationships.

The taller man had shared (on one of their many nights in the cafe) that he'd never really had any relationship that was able to survive a year, wasn't too keen on the feelings department but enjoyed the more physical aspects of a relationship, whereas Ryuu rarely had had truly passionate experiences in the past.

Not to mention the issue of _sex_ now that they were legally bound to one another in a hopefully monogamist relationship (though he was sure Hayato wasn't one for infidelity either).

Ryuu had pondered the idea before but had previously shut the door on those thoughts before he turned redder than his hair.

Now, he _had_ to think about it. He'd have to talk about it with Hayato. He was an adult, dammit. He shouldn't be shying away from the topic (though he had to admit, it was one hell of an embarrassing topic).

Before he'd realized his feelings, he hadn't been averse to broaching the subject with Hayato. Having sex with another man wasn't a new idea but Ryuu had never done it before and Hayato had also confessed to having zero experience in that matter.

Ryuu had been open to suggesting that they still go through their marriage like friends, occasionally giving in to any urges with each other if the need for sex arose. He'd viewed the idea in a sort of detached manner, thinking their friendship strong enough to survive any such complications.

Now, the idea of being friends during the day and friends _with benefits_ during the night made Ryuu feel sort of sick.

He didn't think his heart could survive being friends and _just_ being (though he was averse to using 'bad words', he didn't think any label more appropriate) fuck buddies.

Ryuu got up, forcing himself to stretch and loosen up, already feeling out the kinks on his shoulders from slouching over his desk for more than two hours.

He loved Hayato.

Ryuu loved Hayato more than a friend, loved and respected the dark haired man with romantic affection so much stronger than he'd ever experienced before.

Getting involved sexually would...complicate things, needless to say.

He knew, without a doubt, that desire for Hayato, now that Ryuu was aware of his own feelings, was just around the corner, and along with it would be heartbreak and pining.

It would be incredibly unfair, for the both of them, if they got involved. Incredibly unfair to Hayato because the taller man wouldn't know Ryuu was in it for more than just the sex. Incredibly heartbreakingly unfair for Ryuu knowing Hayato assented only because of physical necessity.

He paused his train of depressing thoughts as a coworker entered his office with a knock, consulting on the matter of holding their quarterly charity ball, the details of which Ryuu could not delegate yet. After going over a few things, he was left again to his own devices, not before noticing the concerned glance his coworker gave him before the other left.

Right. It was already the end of the work day and anytime soon Hayato or Saikawa-san would be calling to ask if he was on his way home.

He needed time to mull over things, unable to imagine facing Hayato just yet, so he sent a short message that he'd be home a bit later than usual.

His thoughts were depressing but he had to go through this like an adult. Still standing, he gazed out his office windows, noticing for the first time the darkening color of the sky. He'd been too busy brooding to notice. The weather was no longer chilly but having a coat and scarf never hurt. He'd be dropping by _Lucky Siblings_ later for his usual cup, or maybe he could try something new. He shook his head, bemused before settling in a nearby couch.

He didn't think he would be able to follow through with _not_ complicating things and _not_ falling into bed with Hayato. He'd noticed the glances, the looks. Ryuu wasn't blind and he wasn't completely naive.

A month already since their first night together and he'd long noticed Hayato watching him. He'd brushed it off at first until he just couldn't.

The way Hayato's eyes stayed a second or two too long on Ryuu's mouth before averting to meet Ryuu's eyes, or the way they sometimes caught on Ryuu's bare throat when Ryuu left the first three buttons of his shirt open (at first unintentionally, in the comfort of their area of the house, now, he was all too aware and guiltily didn't care buttoning up around Hayato) had left Ryuu a bit flushed.

He didn't really dislike the attention (nor did he try to discourage it) and only when he started noticing did he really give the issue of sex any real thought, assuming Hayato was already feeling the need and hadn't been able to find release in his usual outlets now that they were married.

He knew it would be unfair and badly selfish of him if he took advantage of Hayato's physical need to satisfy his own want but Ryuu didn't think he would be able to say 'no' if Hayato offered or made the first move.

For the sake of their friendship, he hoped both of them could keep it in their pants for just a bit longer.

* * *

Ryuu hadn't counted on Hayato losing a bit of self-control.

* * *

Ryuu also hadn't counted on himself being completely and utterly willing to lose control.

* * *

Hayato blamed Inui. No, he fucking blamed Taizou. Actually he fucking blamed everyone for the colossally asinine idea of a press-con.

What the serious fuck.

He resisted the urge to just get up and walk away from the elevated stage, choosing instead to glare at the next reporter who was asking a question. The camera lightings were giving him a headache and he could barely see all the way to the back of the grand hotel's function hall.

Stupid Inui running his mouth like a goddamn idiot.

They'd been planning to keep things quiet, an agreement that extended at least until his and Ryuu's marriage passed the first year milestone. Both companies still uneasy with letting the public know of the contract that wasn't exactly a truly corporate deal. As if a CEO of Hebihara Conglomerate and the rumored heir to the Morinomiya Empire were married wouldn't be a huge thing in both the business world and general news itself.

Inui had let slip (with badly hidden amusement) during an interview about family that a certain Morinomiya heir was already a brother-in-law. The news had spread fast and speculations were high, many reporters hounding after Inomata, the assumed wife of Kashima Ryuuichi. News outlets everywhere were buzzing with it, conspiracies of corporate take-over's covered numerous tabloids and magazines, side by side with stories about Hebihara Taizou selling off his own daughter, and the like.

Speculative stories ranging with different levels of convoluted insanity were widespread until the general public (Japan's public, anyway) had demanded answers. Investors were worried about stockholdings, business rivals were just as interested, the rest were just busy-bodies who had nothing else to do but involve themselves in the lives of the rich and/or famous (the latter was mostly Hayato's opinion but he didn't think it any less true).

Their pre-press conference statement that it was, in fact, Kamitani Hayato who'd signed the marriage forms (they hadn't been exactly government recognized marriage forms but a civil partnership contract, but the public didn't need to know the details) and the whole thing had just exploded into epically large proportions, already deemed the news of the year.

Now Hayato and Ryuuichi were being forced to sit through hours of incessant questioning and really, it was nobody's business if he knew Ryuu's favorite color or not (he knew but he wasn't going to tell some idiot reporter that).

He stole a glance at the shorter man beside him, Hayato's body itching to shield the red head from the flashing cameras and studying eyes. At least Ryuuichi looked calm, face painted with a small smile as he answered (and mostly deflected) questions politely, endearing Ryuuichi immediately to the reporters. Ryuu had rarely done any public events outside promoting Morinomiya's different charities and foundations and even those had been semi-exclusive.

Hayato faught down the irrational anger stemming from the idea of sharing Ryuu to the world now that the redhead was in the public eye.

Ryuu wouldn't want that. Ryuu was the type of person who catered kindly and politely to even scum like paparazzi. And all Hayato wanted to do was hide the other man away from prying eyes. Already, he could count a half-dozen or so men and women looking at Ryuuichi in a way that was too appreciative for his taste.

He could always bark at those people to leave and the papers were already going to paint him as the cold brooding Ice Prince who got to marry Prince Charming (though he wasn't going to argue with that comparison, it rankled nonetheless), what was another mark against his reputation anyway?

The only thing that kept him in his seat was the gentle hand on top his, forcing himself to relax.

Usaida had suggested earlier that to keep appearances of a happy marriage, they should be as 'couple like' as possible and Ryuu had tentatively covered Hayato's balled fist atop the table (Hayato had relaxed that fist immediately lest it discourage Ryuu from touching him. The last thing he wanted was to discourage Ryuu from touching him though it was mostly him selfishly aching for Ryuu's touch).

A lady reporter of some horrendous women's magazine stood next to ask a question. Hayato briefly remembered the magazine as one of several that liked to paint him as a wanton womanizer. He knew he wasn't going to like her question any more than he liked the others.

It was annoying how Ryuu actually paid attention to these people.

"Excuse me. Can you please clarify the issue that the marriage deal wasn't made out of purely business serving purposes and that the parties involved actually like each other?" said the reporter, voice recorder in hand and outstretched. There were murmurs of agreement from the other interviewers.

"As we've stated before..." began Inomata by Hayato's side, Taizou sending her as the company's spokesperson for now with Usaida to supervise, with a straight and even tone for once (Hayato'd expected her to blow up half an hour ago really)

"...Kamitani-san and Kashima-san have both, with reasonable knowledge and consent, entered the contract of whose proposal we cannot disclose but we assure you, the deal was made for all the purposes and intents of both parties' future and that-"

"Yes, yes, you've already said that. What we all really want is proof that they're in this for more than the obvious benefits of having both companies joined in a non-business related manner." said the woman, rudely interrupting with a hand on her waist. Oh, this was good. Inomata was going to _crush_ her and Hayato felt a bit sorry for said reporter, only, not really.

Hayato could feel Ryuu tense by his side, feeling satisfied that Ryuu was at last frowning at someone _finally_.

But before Inomata could speak, the woman interrupted again, with cheers from the other reporters. This was getting out of hand, Hayato thought belatedly.

"They should kiss. As proof of course."

There was an eerie silence at this suggestion before the hall erupted in noise, dozens of people talking all at once while those at their table and the coordinators were demanding order.

Hayato stood abruptly, his chair clattering behind him but the noise did not quiet down. Inomata was also standing trying to call for order while surreptitiously tugged at his side for him to sit back down. He knew he was wearing a murdurous expression, the blinding flashes from different cameras only egging his anger on.

A hand on his arm snapped him out of it, making him turn in confusion to Ryuuichi who was now also standing and looking up at him with those perfect green eyes.

Suddenly everything froze, the noise of the function hall falling away into the background, a faint buzz in the edge of his consciousness, Hayato's world abruptly shrinking down to the space between him and Ryuu. Ryuu didn't have to ask, eyes already saying everything, lips gently parted.

Ryuu was willing to give what the idiots wanted, was willing for a kiss. Who was Hayato to deny him?

He bent down without really thinking, already used to the maneuver after having kissed other women before, except, Ryuu wasn't like any other woman, unlike any other person Hayato knew and before his rational brain could catch up with his body, he was kissing Ryuu, only thinking _finallyfinallyfinally_ over and over again.

Those lips feeling softer than they looked, reminding Hayato of velvet, no, something softer even, pliant against his own searching mouth. Ryuu gave a short gasp, delighting Hayato even more as he licked at Ryuu's lower lip, asking for permission he barely needed.

He let out a soft moan at the feel of Ryuu's own tongue against his, warranting a deeper kiss.

He scarcely noticed the audible startled sounds of spectators, the flashing of what felt like a hundred cameras.

He broke away first, unable to focus but not completely lost to totally forget where they were, noticing that Ryuu's eyes were heavily lidded. Coming back to reality, the noise was already unbearable.

He pushed away completely, not before making sure Ryuu could stand steadily on his own, and briskly walked off.

Those who dared to block his way took one look at the expression on his face and quickly scuttled away wisely out of self-preservation.

He hurried to the nearby private room they had used earlier to prepare, locking himself in as he kept taking huge gulps of air, forcing himself to calm down.

_Kami_, he could still taste Ryuu, feel the ghost of the kiss, soft and wet and pliant, and, oh god, he was _hard_. He let out a frustrated growl, his pantsuit tenting painfully.

He knew he was going to break but he hadn't expected it to be so soon.

For one month, one whole fucking torturous month, he'd been able to hold it all in, kept himself from touching Ryuu more than the normal brushing of arms or accidental touching of hands.

Nothing more.

He'd had only glimpses of Ryuu's skin when the other wasn't too conscious about how his clothing sometimes exposed flashes of skin Hayato desperately wanted to touch, to taste, unaware of how unbearably teasing he was.

He'd seen Ryuu in rumpled pajamas, dark red hair sticking out in all directions, he'd seen the other fresh from the shower (those had been the most painful moments, watching as moisture still clung to the other's flawless white skin, cheeks and neck flushed from the heat of the bath).

He'd fallen into a routine.

Desperately jerking off in their shared bathroom before Ryuu woke up on _their_ bed after a night of _nomustnottouchRyuu_, every fucking morning. It had scarcely been enough, _barely_ enough but he'd managed, he'd managed to keep it in the bathroom (kami, the cold showers were pretty much his new bestfriend).

A kiss, one fucking small kiss had broken his 'must keep it in the shower' rule, and now, here he was fumbling with his pants, groaning again as his cock sprang free.

Kashima. Fucking. Ryuuichi. And his fucking perfect eyes and perfectly soft lips and god, that tongue, tentatively touching against his.

He started stroking, erection heavy in his hand, every single fantasy he's had crashing back down onto him.

Ryuu had felt so perfect, so right, against Hayato, pliant and god, what it would feel like to have the other man open up beneath him. That impeccable body pressed down on a mattress or up against a wall, that faultless mouth saying all kinds of dirty things, bruised with kisses.

Hayato stroked faster, harder, imagining Ryuu on his knees, lips wrapped around Hayato's cock, hungry for it, Ryuu whimpering as Hayato got him off with only his fingers, Ryuu with his legs around Hayato's hips, clawing at Hayato's back while Hayato fucked into him slow and hard, Ryuu bent over the dining table, begging for Hayato's cock, Ryuu riding him in their study, Ryuu moaning shamelessly in the shower, Ryuu_ohgodRyuu_.

He was able to grab at a semblance of sanity by manhandling a box of tissues nearby, coming shortly after, slumping onto the floor, the orgasm shaking a low moan out of him.

Oh, god, he was going to _die._

* * *

Inomata composed herself quickly, shooting one last glance over her shoulder in vain, Hayato long out of sight. That was...unexpected.

She growled at the coordinators to get the people under control, pronto, many of the reporters already sounding rabid with the new development. She looked to her side, Kashima with an obviously troubled expression despite the placating gestures he was giving to the crowd.

The other Morinomiya representative was busy trying to both calm the crowd and talk to someone on the phone, the poor man sweating and looking nervous as hell. Their chairman must be on the other line.

Seriously, Hayato? _Seriously_?! She cursed silently. The idiot could have at least postponed whatever sort of freak out he was having for later _after_ the conference. She looked to Kashima again, the other man looking calm, only, his hands were obviously shaking. This had to stop.

She looked around wildly, trying to choose a course of action that wouldn't look too bad for the company but before she could act, Hayato had returned to the stage seeming more murderous than before.

"All of you, shut up."

She was sure his voice had barely been raised but the hall quieted immediately, the tension in the air so painfully palpable, she herself feeling a cold shiver run down her spine. Hayato could be downright scary if he wanted to, much worse than their father, she thought idly.

He loomed behind her before stepping forward, standing straight and tall, though she noticed his usually pristine suit looking a bit rumpled. She could hear Kashima whispering a quiet 'Hayato', soft enough that she didn't think anybody else heard, tone sounding like a plea. Well, at least she wasn't the only one knowing Hayato was going to make a bigger mess of things by saying something stupid.

Hayato's voice was authoritative when he spoke, no one else daring to speak.

"You have your proof- -"

Oh, god, please don't threaten, please, she thought fervently but was surprised when all Hayato said after was "...this conference is over."

The noise became deafening all at once, indignant reporters squawking.

She blew out a sigh of relief, quickly schooling her features to hide her surprise. The Hayato she knew would've never let things slide that easily but she caught sight of Ryuuichi as he was being ushered off the stage, looking at Hayato with a grateful smile.

She wondered if Nezu was up for a night out drinking because, _kami_, she needed one. She'd let Yagi tag along too if the perv was up to it.

* * *

Yagi Tomoya sneezed, Nezu wordlessly offering him a tissue which he took gratefully. It was still cold enough outside to get a cold so he huddled closer to the shaggy haired man, happy for the warmth as they walked in front of brightly lit shops.

"By the way, Chuu-chan, will Kichi and Suekichi be working the cafe tonight?" he twittered.

"Yes, so if you don't want to get blueballs for an entire month, you better stay away from the shop for the rest of the week." his boyfriend said quietly.

Tomoya sighed loudly, well, he was never allowed to have fun. He watched as Chuukichi fished out his phone, a message alert flashing on the screen.

"Hmm, Inomata-san's inviting me out for drinks, she says you can come if you want to."

"Oh, that would be delightful! Though I think it would be better if we went to your shop and we could invite her younger brother, the Kamitani boy."

That got him a whack in the back of the head. Well, at least he tried. He hummed a tune to himself, looking forward to seeing Inomata again, his and Chuukichi's ex and their mutual friend since high school (he'd dated her off and on during high school and a handful of hookups in college while Chuukichi had dated her not more than a year before), and maybe this time he could finally make her see the perks of a poly-amorous relationship.

Drinks would be lovely indeed.

* * *

**Yes, yes, I know press conferences in Japan are rarely as rowdy as depicted here, heck, Japan's reporters (even their paparazzi) are said to be the most courteous and not at all rabid like those in the rest of the world. And, yeah, I don't really have a thing for threesomes but I think the trio Yagi-Inomata-Nezu could work. Yes, I am, in fact, quite messed up in the head.**

**Anywaaay...**

**I don't think I'll be going past 12 chapters (but we never know) with the length of the chapters and word count climbing really high. I already have the last chapter written out actually, all I need is the meat in the middle and all the other filler-ey stuff.**

**The next update won't be as quick as this one since I already had this written out as part of chapter 5 and classes have started again so I'm just hoping I can update as frequently as possible.**

**I'd love to hear[read] about your thoughts on this and the previous chapter and hope I was getting the UST right. The next chapter will have the actual, er, mature scene/s so, uh, yeah.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Warnings: There be sex in this chapter. Mansex. It is a word. And also, Hayato is a horny bastard. Ryuu is too but still...**

**For those who don't feel like smut is their cup of tea, please scroll through, no one begrudges you anything though I sincerely hope you won't miss much.**

**Specially dedicated for KnuxdowManiac who has made my entire week because she is **_**hilarious**_**. Dude, I hope you like the smut. :3**

**Thanks again to all those who reviewed, followed, and favorite-ed this baby of mine. You guys keep me writing despite being sick with the flu. Huge thanks to **_**w- easy enough, PhantomsWorkshop, Swt Cutie, Beautifulyaoilover93**_**, and Guest. I send you my love and this chapter.**

**(Read in 3/4 format)**

* * *

Chapter 7

touching you (it feels like fire, the way you touch me)

* * *

Ryuuchi stared up at the bedroom's ceiling, the room cast in muted light, bathing everything in soft shadows. He took time appreciating the bed's large ornate headboard, having traced it with his hand earlier that evening when he realized sleep wouldn't come yet.

A luxurious mattress that was soft yet not too much that it was difficult to move in. The linens never failed to be fresh each morning (and Saikawa never failed to amaze). Even without the duvet, the room was set at just the right temperature, heat and air ducts hidden away behind meticulously designed walls.

He was surrounded in comfort and luxury and...he never consciously realized how large the bed was, easily fitting three to four people, until now, and how lonely it could feel.

He turned, lying on his side to face Hayato's side of the bed, the taller man having taken up the part facing the window as his. It was empty.

Ryuu felt something akin to disappointment swell in his chest.

He had not regretted the kiss for what it had been, only regretting that Hayato had reacted to it the way the other man was doing right now. Ryuu wouldn't call it avoidance really, but since that kiss (that heated kiss that had made Ryuu weak in the knees, heart beating a hundred miles an hour), Hayato had barely spoken to him and it wasn't Hayato's usual stoicism either.

Still, even just the memory of the kiss helped alleviate the lonely feel of the bed, making Ryuu flush, remembering how Hayato's tongue had danced against his own, hot, wet, and feeling so _so_ right.

He'd never thought he'd be entertaining the idea of having sex with another man as he was doing so often nowadays (and with a level of excitement too). He supposed he just had never met any man or anyone quite like Hayato. He blushed at the thought. He was married to the man, what more could he want?

_Making love, of course _whispered his traitorous mind.

Well, making love was never in the cards, he thought resolutely, maybe sex but never making love, he dwelled on it a bit before sighing and getting up to look for Hayato, knowing the taller man must be in the study.

* * *

Hayato strode towards the door, having heard the tentative knock and wondering why Ryuu insisted on knocking when he technically owned the place, though he just assumed it was Ryuu, seeing as it was almost midnight.

He opened it, thinking himself prepared for the sight of Ryuuichi, or even Saikawa, but was startled to see Koutarou staring up at him, hazel green eyes fixed at him.

He let the smaller boy in without question but still curious as to why the boy was still up.

Koutarou sat in one of the armchairs facing the grand desk that occupied the other end of the study, dark wood shelves filled with books lining the walls, while the room itself was furnished with obvious care and comfort in mind, lit warmly with wall lamps, Hayato having not bothered with the main lights.

Wordlessly, Hayato returned to his place behind the desk, getting the odd feeling of déjà vu though for what, he did not know. After settling himself, he was unsurprised to hear Kotarou finally speak.

"I saw the press-conference this afternoon."

Ah, so the boy must've been worried for his older brother.

Hayato shrugged, feigning nonchalance but inwardly flinching at the younger boy's words. He still hadn't forgotten about that and was none too proud of his activities earlier that evening behind the desk, grateful for the waste basket and box of tissues hidden from view.

"..."

Hayato opted to remain silent, still unsure of what he was supposed to say.

Kotarou proceeded to watch him in a studying manner before continuing.

"Do you like my brother?"

"Yes." Hayato answered, not really seeing the point of denying. He'd always liked Ryuuichi...

"I mean, do you _like _him?" Kotarou clarified and this time Hayato paused, studying the younger boy in return.

"That's...none of your business, kid."

"I don't want to see him get hurt."

That Kotarou was Ryuuichi's beloved younger brother and that love was very much reciprocated did not need to be said. Hayato was very much aware of that fact.

"You're...oddly talkative tonight..." Hayato started, sighing as he continued, "...He's my friend. I don't want him getting hurt either."

"..."

"..."

"You're married."

"Yes."

"So you're technically my 'nii-san too."

Hayato paused again, never having really thought about it. Yes, they were all family now.

"I suppose so."

Kotarou nodded thoughtfully before getting up and turning to the door then half facing Hayato again, Hayato leaning back to watch him.

"You think it's because Ryuu-nii is your husband."

"Am I supposed to think otherwise?"

Hayato wondered where their conversation was going, returning Kotarou's watchful gaze steadily.

"You were 'Hayato-nii' long before the deal happened..." Kotarou said quietly before turning again to leave. Hayato didn't stop him, turning the words over in his mind and appreciating the sentiment.

Hayato returned his attention to the various work papers he'd been intent on finishing (but never got to because of a certain memory of _certain_ kiss), looking up again when Kotarou's voice rang clear in the quiet room.

"...and you've been 'Hayato' to Ryuu-nii long before the papers were signed."

The boy had left before Hayato could think of a reply.

* * *

Ryuu found himself sprawled on one of the soft leather couches near the study's unlit fireplace, stealing glances ever so often at Hayato who was bent over the desk, the taller man's face, a mask of seriousness.

He itched to ask what Hayato and Kotarou had been talking about, having met his younger brother in the hallway leading to the study. It was well past midnight and Hayato still made no indication of thinking of heading to bed. Their bed.

And it was awkward, just like their first night together in the same bedroom.

Ryuu didn't like it one bit, unaware of the way he was frowning at Hayato from over the backrest.

* * *

Even with a room's distance between them, Hayato was constantly aware of Ryuu's attention on him. He was never more grateful for the desk, beautiful polished hardwood covering his, well, he wasn't so far gone as to make horrible puns just yet.

He glared at the paper in hand, having done so for the past half-hour and unable to focus. If only the object of his desire wasn't currently lying (quite adorably if he might add) a few meters away, head resting on his arms over the couch's backrest, eyes bright despite the low lighting of the room, lamps casting everything in a soft golden glow.

Hayato has seen _a lot _of sexy lingerie, underwear, get-ups, etc. He's popular and he's never complained, the concept of modesty wasn't entirely lost on him but he wasn't exactly preaching it.

But, _kami_, if there was ever anything he would call indecent, it was the picture of Ryuuichi's pale relaxed form, all slender limbs, arms, neck and collarbone bare for the light to touch lovingly (Hayato would too, if he could, if he was allowed to, _god_, how he wanted to just _touch_), wearing only a white cotton threadbare tank top and loose fitting sweatpants that Ryuuichi owned an endless supply of (how was it that Ryuuichi could make loose sweatpants appealing?! _Kami_, Hayato hated those things in the morning, barely hanging on to Ryuu's slim hips, taunting Hayato as they slipped just a bit lower when Ryuuichi stretched, showing flashes of skin).

Okay, if he wasn't hard before, he was definitely aching now. Shower. A cold shower would be good. He had to get out of this room, and hopefully away from Ryuu. The study was a frequent backdrop to several fantasies of his. Mostly because it was where he spent many a night looking over paperwork and arranging matters for work that he could, and that it was _theirs_, Ryuu's and his study, the second most private room set strictly for them both other than their bedroom. It wouldn't do to stay here long, especially when specific fantasies involving the desk and/or the couch started surfacing.

Hayato stood abruptly, grateful that he'd forgotten to leave his coat in the closet, grabbing it to cover his front quickly.

"I'm heading for bed. You?"

He gave a sideways glance at Ryuu, the other man looking up in surprise before smiling up tentatively at Hayato.

"I- -I was actually waiting for you. Couldn't sleep."

Hayato blinked. He had been wondering why Ryuu had stayed up, feeling a bit guilty.

"Sorry. I'm meeting a new supplier in the morning and was hoping to get some research done."

It wasn't exactly a lie, he thought, face still blank as he led the way through the corridor, Ryuuichi trailing after him. He really did have a meeting with one of their new suppliers, only later in the day. Huh. He wasn't above using work as an excuse to escape Ryuu's presence after all.

By the time they made it to their bedroom, Hayato's erection was no longer straining against the seam of his pants, having flagged a bit but still hard nonetheless, Ryuuichi standing awkwardly about as Hayato stripped off his tie.

"I'm going to take a shower first. I'll try not to wake you when I get out." Hayato said, his back to Ryuu as he unbuttoned his shirt with one hand, casting his coat on a lounge chair with the other.

"I, well, I was hoping to talk to you about something actually."

Hayato looked over his shoulder at a red faced Ryuu whose eyes were averted to the floor.

"Now?"

"Ah, well, I'd been hoping to broach the subject sometime soon but I think it's best to get it out of the way. Um. Especially after today's events...after that, well, uh, that kiss."

"..."

Hayato continued stripping off his shirt and the undershirt with it, still turned away from Ryuu. He felt himself stiffen, staring blankly at the bunched up cloth in his hands.

"So, um, I thought, since we're technically married and- -and both healthy a-adult m-males, I think we should have a-a proper adult conversation regarding our, well, our, um, our needs if this marriage is going anywhere long term."

"Needs." Hayato had turned to Ryuuichi now, whose green eyes still remained averted, problem in his pants momentarily forgotten. The tone that came out with the word was more quiet incredulity than a question. Was Ryuu actually...

"Yes. Um. Our s-sexual needs." replied Ryuuichi, eyes glancing briefly at Hayato's face before turning to somewhere over Hayato's shoulder, face redder than ever.

"..."

"..."

"..."

"...so? What-ah-what do you think?"

"You want to talk about sex."

"Well, er, yes, to put it bluntly. Realistically speaking, this marriage won't last with either of us being strained and I'm sure the subject has crossed your mind during the consideration of the deal..."

No, actually, he hadn't, he'd been too busy thinking about what Ryuu's future would be like with some other stranger, Hayato hadn't even considered the possibility of sex. Hayato could only stare.

"...and," Ryuuichi continued, "I- -I, for one, don't think I would be able to agree to an arrangement of sleeping with people on the side while keeping a supposedly monogamous relationship, that is, well, our marriage..." and here Ryuu looked suddenly pained, "...I was just...I was just rather hoping, well, proposing that, if you want, we could find- -we could find satisfaction with- -with each other...but of course, if you'd rather seek other means of satisfying your needs and-and- -"

"Later." Hayato cut in abruptly. Ryuuichi blinking in confusion and looking a bit pale.

"Um, what?"

"Later. We'll talk about this later. Shower first." he said, thinking he should receive an award for just how eloquent he sounded, not even waiting for a reply as he walked calmly (he absolutely did not flee. Kamitani Hayato did not flee. Well, maybe he did. Just a little) to the adjoined bathroom, leaving Ryuuichi stammering for a reply.

Not even caring to lock the door, he hastily rid himself of his pants, hissing quietly as he stripped himself of his underwear, gripping his hard cock immediately in hand.

Fuck. Ryuuichi...Ryuuichi had actually entertained the thought of having sex. Hayato groaned, stepping quickly into the shower and blasting himself with cold water, hoping the sound of the shower would be enough to drown out his own.

The other man was right of course and Ryuuichi wasn't even aware how close Hayato was from dying from blue balls. No doubt, Ryuu had weighed the options beforehand, and thank _kami_, had thought it better to 'satisfy the need'(as Ryuu had put it) with Hayato than with some other person because Hayato did not think he would allow himself to be responsible for any murders involving a lover of Ryuu that was not Hayato.

He didn't hear Ryuu calling on the other side of the door, too focused on getting off before he had to face the other man in their bedroom, leaning with one hand braced against the tiled wall, cold water cascading all around him.

The feeling of being watched made him turn and despite the bathroom being as large as hell, there was no way to cover up what he was doing from wide green eyes staring right through the shower door's glass.

Hayato was too lost in the sensation, taking in those still wide green eyes raking up and down his body in surprise, cheeks flushed pink (what a pretty color, supplied his hindbrain), and a delicious looking lips parted in a silent 'o', tongue unconsciously darting out to briefly.

Hayato panted heavily, still bracing himself against the tiled walls, animal brain in complete control, quickening his pace as he drew closer and closer to the edge. Imagination was no match to the real thing, even if said real thing still stood gaping like a deer (an adorably _torturously_ beautiful looking deer) caught in the headlights by the bathroom door.

His rational side somehow managed to rally enough neurons as he quirked an eyebrow up at Ryuu, stratling the other man to come to. Ryuu, absolutely red faced, practically shrieked out an apology before fleeing, definitely fleeing, out the bathroom and slamming the door behind him.

Hayato came a moment later, hand gripping and ungripping at his softening cock, brain too kicked up in a pleasure high to stifle the moan that had ripped through him.

* * *

_Omigawd._ Thought Ryuu on the other side of the door, embarrassed and turned-on as hell, breathing heavily against the wood on his back.

* * *

_Fuck_. Though Hayato, momentarily calculating the option of locking himself up in the bathroom for the rest of the night. There were enough towels stocked and a few robes so he wasn't likely to get hypothermia and the bathtub was definitely wide enough.

* * *

That was so embarrassing! He hadn't planned on entering when Hayato had gone in but he wasn't able to postpone the words that wanted out running through his mind, wanting clarification on what Hayato thought of Ryuu's proposition.

He never imagined Hayato actually taking care of said _needs_ right at that moment and, _omigawd_, Ryuu was hard and the shower wasn't exactly an option right now and- -and Hayato hadn't exactly said 'no', had he?

On shaky legs, he strode towards the nightstand on his side of the bed, reaching for the large tube that was doubtlessly stocked there on obaa-san's orders and a large unopened box of 'protection'.

Right. He could do this. He could do this. _Omigawd_, was he really going to- -yes. Yes. He was.

He opened the box, fishing out two packets and laying them on the stand before grabbing the lube. He'd used lube before but never in the way he was thinking of now, and really, his body was shaking, anticipation, nerves, arousal, all of it warring inside him, as he shed his clothes, underwear and all before crawling on the bed and laying on his back.

He wasn't a prude exactly but he'd only managed to watch one erotic film involving only two men and, though aroused, he'd never imagined himself to be a party possibly participating in something like that. He didn't think he would enjoy sex with another man at that time but his current erection was saying otherwise.

He arranged himself on the very center, grabbing a pillow just as he'd seen on the film and tucking it beneath his lower back, trying out the position of his back arched comfortably. It was strangely erotic, causing him a fresh wave of embarrassment and nerves. Was he really splaying himself out like this? His member was certainly up for it.

He propped himself on his elbows, looking nervously at the bathroom door before slowly spreading his legs the way a woman would, not exactly wide, but hopefully welcoming enough. It sent a tingle through his spine. After a few more moments of consideration and Hayato had not stepped out yet, Ryuu grabbed a few more pillows to prop behind his back as he forced himself to try and relax, breathing deeply as he stared up at the ceiling, hand groping for the lube.

He lathered his member, inhaling sharply as the cool substance came into contact with his sensitive skin. Blushing furiously as he remembered how Hayato's had looked, heavy and large in the other man's hand, bigger than any Ryuuichi had ever seen, flushed a darker color than the rest of Hayato's god-like sculpted body, droplets of water running down skin.

He squeezed a liberal amount on his hands before leaving the bottle beside him. One hand reaching for his member while the other ventured lower, first gently cupping his balls before sliding even lower.

He gasped in pain and arousal as he breeched himself with one finger, glancing briefly at the closed bathroom door before staring looking back down at himself. He threw his head back on the pillow, forcing himself to relax around the digit as he slipped it in deeper. It was...unpleasant to say the least, feeling himself suddenly panic at the idea of Hayato's cock penetrating him. He compelled himself to calm, remembering the film but ultimately, it was the idea that Hayato would never hurt him that made him breathe easy again.

He stroked at his already softening member, the pain having momentarily overcome his arousal. He grabbed at the bottle of lube, pouring a more generous amount, wincing at the mess it would likely cause on the sheets.

He thought back at how Hayato had looked in the shower, taut muscles in his back and arms standing out in relief, the taller man focused even in the most mundane of tasks, eyes steady and scorching in the way they'd found Ryuu by the door, glancing at Ryuu's lips, making Ryuu feel heat with every second Hayato's gaze was upon him.

Ryuu slowly worked in another finger with care, pain and the strangeness of it all spiking sharply before giving way to the sensation of being filled somehow. He belatedly noticed the bathroom door opening and hearing a strangled sound that sounded suspiciously like Hayato but too caught up in chasing the arousal in what he was doing to give any real thought to Hayato finally seeing him splayed out and wanton.

He tentatively moved his fingers in time with his strokes, breathing heavily and staring up at the ceiling, only turning his head a bit to the side when Hayato came into his peripheral vision.

"What are you- -" Hayato choked out.

Hayato's voice, gruff and hoarse helped clear most of fog in Ryuu's mind, making him suddenly conscious of how shameful he must've looked, suddenly grateful that he'd left only one lamp on the nightstand lit while shutting the rest. His hands stopped moving and his legs unconsciously moved to close.

"Don't."

Ryuu's legs stilled, eyes fixed on Hayato's face, uncertain, but maybe, maybe Hayato wanted this too. Ryuu tried to stifle the hiss from escaping his mouth as he slipped out his fingers gingerly.

"Are you trying to kill me?"

The words were said in a tone Ryuu was unfamiliar with, confusing him as Hayato's voice cracked a bit.

Then suddenly, Hayato was on him, naked thought Ryuu belatedly, as Hayato's lips crushed against his. Ryuu moaned, opening his mouth as Hayato invaded him with tongue and teeth and lips. He gripped at the taller man's broad shoulders, Hayato's weight bearing down on him, and the feel of skin on skin was just delicious, a large hand running against Ryuu's side while the other cupped his face, gripping him in place as Hayato proceeded to kiss him hungrily, hot and perfect and just- -air, he needed air.

Hayato seemed to sense this also, pulling back, breathing harshly as he pressed his forehead against Ryuu's, but his hands remained roaming, eliciting another moan from Ryuu.

"You are, aren't you?"

"Whu-?"

Why was Hayato even talking? Why was he not kissing Ryuu right now and-oh-oh- -! Ryuu gasped, arching up against Hayato above him, forgetting the pillows he'd propped underneath himself, as Hayato's hand, his lovely lovely hand found Ryuu's arousal while the taller man's mouth found its way to a patch of skin on Ryuu's neck that Ryuu had never thought sensitive before.

"You. Are. Trying. To. Kill. Me." said Hayato in between kisses and sucks, Ryuu's brain too far gone to even process a reply.

And then Hayato was claiming his lips again, kissing Ryuu breathless, intense and fiery. When he pulled away, Ryuu managed to utter a shaky _"No, would never-haah-try-ah to kill you. You're-hah- the one trying to-nyagh, trying to kill me."_

Hayato ground his lips down, both men groaning loudly at the sensation of each other's skin, deliciously slick with the lube Ryuu had applied earlier.

"Does this-hah-mean-haa-yes?" Ryuu managed to ask, gasping and moaning in between words as Hayato's hand worked between them, Ryuu spreading his legs wide to accommodate Hayato in between.

"Yes. Of course yes." Hayato said gruffly before groaning as Ryuu latched onto the taller man's neck, sucking and licking greedily. It would be found that Ryuu gave as good as he got, and Hayato was giving a lot.

"Haa- -Hayato, fuck-ha-fuck me."

The words felt dirty in his mouth and all the more arousing, eliciting a strangled like sound from Hayato as if something had snapped.

Hayato's mouth was on his, and if possible, even hungrier than before, rough thumb teasing at Ryuu's nipples.

"Fuck. Yes." Hayato almost growled before pulling back, Ryuu whining shamelessly at the sudden loss of contact but body thrumming with anticipation. He had been so close to the edge.

"- -but not now. You're not ready. I haven't done this before and I might hurt you." Hayato added, sounding pained.

"But I am!" whined Ryuu before catching himself, embarrassed.

"You aren't..." Hayato said, voice sounding slightly amused, but serious still, "...I promise you, next time, we'll both be ready and it will be amazing. For now, we do this..."

Ryuu blushed at the thought that there was a next time and thankful that Hayato was thinking for the both of them. He was suddenly conscious of his member weeping precome, hard and straining for attention, particularly Hayato's attention. Hayato straightened on his knees between Ryuu's legs, both of their minds finally clearing enough to have gotten the initial flurry of lust.

Ryuu quivered at the way Hayato was looking at him with appraising eyes, raking his body with heat.

"_Kami_, you have no idea how look right now, so beautiful, Ryuuichi." Hayato said before leaning down to give Ryuu a quick kiss, Ryuu leaning up to chase those lips but Hayato pressed him back down with a firm hand before cupping his face again.

"You have no idea how much I want to fuck you right now."

The words made a fresh wave of arousal sweep through Ryuu, causing him to whimper, arousal pooling in his gut.

"I'd fuck you so hard, you wouldn't be able to sit straight for days."

Hayato reached for the lube with one hand before grabbing one of Ryuu's knees with the other. Bringing Ryuu's knees together while hooking Ryuu's ankles over his shoulders, Hayato positioned himself, both of them groaning as Hayato's cock brushed behind Ryuu's balls.

Hayato's faced looked to be under strained control, control only betrayed by the way he was gripping Ryuu's thighs. Ryuu could only watch, propped on his elbows and unable to reach for Hayato without stretching painfully.

Ryuu moaned as Hayato slipped a slicked hand between Ryuu's thighs shut tight together, pouring more lube before bracing himself against Ryuu.

Hayato reached for Ryuu's aching member, pumping it once, twice, before Hayato's own generous cock slid against Ryuu's balls and hitting the base of Ryuu's member.

Ryuu gripped at the sheets for purchase, unable to reach for Hayato, as pleasure took him, Hayato's hand working him skillfully towards the brink, Hayato thrusting furiously between Ryuu's legs, delicious friction against Ryuu's balls. The heat was maddening.

He hadn't noticed that he had been moaning out Hayato's name over and over, belatedly noticing that Hayato was talking.

"Fuck, so fucking beautiful, Ryuu. Next time-hah-next time, gonna- ugh-gonna open you up nice-hah-nice and slow before I fuck into you so hard-hah-until you scream my name and-ah-beg-hah-beg me to slow down."

Ryuu came, mind whiting out with pleasure, unsure if it was Hayato's words or his hand that did him in. He spilled all over Hayato's hand and his own abdomen, suddenly boneless but keeping his legs together as tight as possible for Hayato until the taller man came all over Ryuu's thighs, so gorgeous as he whispered Ryuu's name reverently, face briefly contorted with pleasure. Ryuu's member twitched at the sight, and if he hadn't just spent himself, just the sight of Hayato losing control was making him ache with arousal again.

Hayato slumped down beside him, panting, before pulling Ryuu up and curling around him.

Ryuu slipped out of consciousness, letting slumber take over, a smile playing on his lips, feeling warm, tired, content, and safe, secure in Hayato's arms, breathing in the scent of them together.

* * *

Hayato stared. And stared some more.

The wonderful being still lay sleeping before him, unbelievably beautiful, and bare save for the thin sheet covering both their lower halves. Not a dream.

He'd woken earlier, soft downy hair tickling his nose, the scent of home and sex filling his senses as what little sunlight that could filter through the drapes lit the room in dawn's pale shades of gray and blue.

Ryuu's breathing was steady and soft, lying on his side, the line of his back, perfect, Hayato tracing it once he realized he could, he _could_ touch Ryuu now, was allowed to, was welcome to. He followed the line of Ryuu's spine with a hand, marveling that, yes, it was all real and that Ryuu wasn't going to disappear as soon as Hayato reached out.

Hayato shifted, propping himself on an elbow as his hand dipped lower and lower, himself leaning forward to press a kiss on Ryuu's shoulder, feeling Ryuu already stirring awake. The red head let out a sleepy moan as Hayato's fingers trailed beneath the sheet to brush against the tip of the cleft that parted Ryuu's perfect cheeks, turning on its course to go up and curl around Ryuu's hip.

Last night, he'd been in too much of a rush for satisfaction, too overtaken with lust to truly appreciate this, but now that the initial rush was over, he could just enjoy the low buzz of arousal simmering just beneath the surface, savoring the feel of holding it back and letting it build nice and slow before the dam broke.

He settled for pressing soft kisses on Ryuu's bare shoulders, shifting forward to press against Ryuu's warmth, suppressing a shudder of pleasure as the sensitive head of his cock brushed against Ryuu's rear. He could feel Ryuu's breath hitch as Hayato snaked a hand to trail along Ryuu's front, brushing a nipple before venturing lower to settle on Ryuu's smooth belly.

"Ha-hayato?"

"Morning."

Hayato smiled, feeling Ryuu chuckle airily.

"Good morning to you too. I suppose it's still a 'yes' then?"

Hayato paused for a bit, remembering the night before.

"Of course. Thank you."

"What for?"

Hayato gave Ryuu a short kiss again before the smaller man turned to face him fully, Hayato kissing him, this time on the mouth, relishing the almost lazy-like quality of it.

He allowed himself to enjoy it, allowed himself to think, even for a moment, that this was what _making love_ felt like, that it wasn't just sex with a friend for Ryuu, that Ryuu felt as deeply, put as much affection in the kiss as Hayato was doing. Reality was a bitch but he didn't have to face it all the time.

He pulled back, smirking at the way Ryuu looked a bit dazed, cheeks flushed and lips looking bruised, both from last night and now.

"It's a secret."

Ryuu looked curious but smiled and laughed instead, cheeks still flushed, tempting Hayato to kiss him again. And he did, kissed Ryuu everywhere until Ryuu was a wreck beneath Hayato, crying out as he came in Hayato's hand, kissing back madly and touching Hayato as eagerly, allowing Hayato to rut against Ryuu's hip until he came.

_I love you_, he thought quietly, watching Ryuu doze, _god, I love you and you might never know_. Something painful lodged in his throat, killing the after-sex glow, the sweet taste of Ryuu fading to be replaced by something bitter tasting in the back of his throat as he slipped out of bed to get ready for the day.

He had a supplier to meet, after all.

* * *

**Woohoo! Finally reached the 30k words mark!**

**Funfact: most hetero men consider an act sex only if there is penetration, which is not the case with sex between two men. The most common non-penetrative would be mutual handjobs (yes, it counts as sex) and rutting between the other's thighs. :smugface:**

**This fic will get a bit [a lot] smutty in future chapters. [Maybe] Warnings include: dub-con[maybe], angry sex[definitely happening], other scenes not quite confined to the bedroom.**

**Fair warning for the next chapter: more sexing and angst to come. Side character POVs [hopefully some subplot development] and stuff.**

**What do you guys think of Hayato's ansting? Anybody looking forward to anal? Kinks you guys might like to see? I don't even.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Sorry for the **_**'more than a month?! what the serious f-'**_** update. I used to update weekly but been so damn busy with university stuff. Taxation laws are killing me. Why, **_**why**_** the serious fuck do we need to- -urgh!? Anyways, been too busy getting run down by uni and internships, and panel defense and life in general to actually sit down and **_**not**_** drool like I'm brain dead because, finally, rest.**

**BTW, I forgot to note last chapter: We finally find out Inomata's first name (Maria) but I'm just going to keep it as a sort of second name since it's too late to change things now and I can't really think of her as 'Maria', so basically, her name is now 'Hebihara Inomata Maria' (whut?). There's gonna be an explanation to that later (when a certain character comes in).**

**This chapter is fucking long so I hope it makes up for the lateness and the pacing. I'm trying to limit the chapter count to 11(hopefully).**

**And omg, thanks so much, you guys. All of you, thank you all for the lovely reviews and subscriptions and favorites. The support, it be awesome.**

**A whopping chunk of thanks to ranchan-akari, Swt Cutie(the suggestions are lovely and I will definitely see if I can sneak in a few scenes on those), UchihaNa, w-easy enough, KnuxadowManiac(your name is quite fitting and you never fail to crack me up), KuroNeko114, itachifan incognito, moonglazers, Rikka-tan, and Guests. You guys, you guys keep me writing even when there are barely any Gakuen Babysitters updates to keep me inspired.**

**I would have preferred referring to Usaida by 'Usaida', his last name because his first name is such a mouth full but then that would just be weird because it would be like he was referring to himself by his own last name. Anyway...**

**Warnings: sex. Lots of it. Well, more mentions than the actual scene. Hayato and Ryuu are horny bastards. Seriously. Honeymoon phase.**

**(Read in 3/4 format please. I love the way it looks)**

* * *

Chapter 8

Knight without armor (Shall I fight for you?)

* * *

_Ryuu inhaled deeply, steadying himself, fighting the urge to squirm, flushed red, embarrassed, exposed._

_"It's alright, Ryuu. I'm here. _I'm here_."_

_The words were murmured against the space between his shoulder blades, far from calming him down, the places where they touched, searing hot, Ryuu on all fours, green eyes half-lidded, staring at the sheets between his hands splayed beneath him._

_"...trust me?"_

_He felt more than heard the words, mesmerized by the larger hand splayed beside his as another trailed along his side, causing him to shiver in anticipation._

_"Always..." and Ryuu closed his eyes._

* * *

"Excuse me. Good afternoon, Usaida-san."

Yoshihito woke, aiming a sleepy eye at the tall figure of Saikawa standing as straight as ever. He stretched, yawning mildly, not minding the way his suit had wrinkled from napping on the cafe's table, lean legs sprawling out, and relaxed, from under him.

"Good afternoon to you too, Saikawa-san."

He rested his head on one hand, elbow on the table, smiling lazily as Saikawa took the seat in front of him.

"So..." He started, wondering, as a few moments of silence passed.

"I'm sorry. I was lost in thought..."

Yoshihito raised an eyebrow at that but kept silent as the man he'd known for several years continued.

"...I came to see you on matters concerning Ryuuichi-sama and Hayato-sama."

"Ah, of course, of course. I _was_ wondering about that." Yoshihito replied, waiting for any outward reaction from the taller man but the other stayed as impassive as ever.

"Yes, I'm sure. The Chairman has been informed of the inquiries you have been making regarding the _contract_."

"Well, it is in my employer's best interest to know what has happened to the papers, of course."

"And your employer being Hebihara-sama?"

"I think we both know- -actually, I think we and cheapskate-granny know who exactly has me asking around about the contract."

"Well, the Chairman has sent me to assure you that everything has been done for both parties' best interests."

Yoshihito snorted at that, wondering what the old woman was playing at.

"Of course. Still, Ryuu-chan's a sweet kid and all but I really would prefer not to lie to Hayato despite everything."

"Ah, I cannot speak for the Chairman on that matter but all we ask is that you merely _delay_ Hayato-sama from finding out the truth."

"That is still considered lying, you know. He keeps asking for updates about my investigation." and here he sighed before smiling, albeit, a bit lazily. "I suppose I can keep this from Hayato for a bit longer. _God_ knows the kid needs to relax and enjoy what he has for now. I do hope cheapskate-granny knows what she's doing."

Moreover, he knew Hayato had a couple of aces up his sleeve and the contract wasn't all Hayato had Usaida look in on.

"Thank you, Usaida-san." replied Saikawa, giving a short bow.

"Enough of business, would you care to join me for drinks?"

He grinned as the very formal man across him gave a small smile.

"I would be delighted to."

* * *

Inomata strode quickly (a wonder that her pencil skirt never rode up), tucking an annoying stray strand of hair behind her ear, barely aware of the different employees throwing themselves out of her way as she went through a few charts the accounting department had sent over. She slowed only, pausing, when an unfamiliar figure brushed by her, shorter, definitely female with short bobbed pink hair scurrying past. Inomata was ready to call out the person, a scolding in mind, brow furrowed, before her phone rang, distracting her.

She answered immediately, the stranger (perhaps a new employee) already at the back of her mind. She'd find out later who the new girl was and maybe give a lecture on the do's and don'ts in their company building, especially as an employee of Hebihara Conglomerate.

* * *

"I'll be leaving for Macau on the day after. Where are you on the investigation?"

"Good morning to you too, Hayato."

Yoshihito peeked from under some papers he'd fallen asleep with as he lay sprawled over his office's couch to see the dark haired man standing as stoic as ever. He sighed, getting up to sit but only to lean back lazily.

"..."

Said brooding man reached for the papers that littered the small coffee table.

"Well, you're quite in the talking mood this morning, aren't you?" Yoshihito added, unable to resist as he bit back a grin, finding himself the point of the other man's glare.

"The investigation. Where are you on it?"

Damn, the kid's focus wasn't easy to deflect.

"Not going anywhere revealing just yet," he managed to say, Hayato giving a short nod before raising an eyebrow in silent question, making Yoshihito sigh.

"About that other thing you asked me to look into...kid, are you sure?"

"I trust you've found something?"

He frowned. Usually Hayato being an immovable prick was amusing, cute at best, but right now, he could see why a lot of people got intimidated by the other man's stoic demeanor.

"Look, I know it's not any of my business but- -"

"It really isn't. What I asked of you was simple. There is one month left before the six-month prescriptive period of Morinomiya ends and we can't waste any more time."

"But Hayato, wait, look, okay? Hear me out. I'm all about helping you and what's best for you and Ryuu-chan," he started quickly, noticing the way the other man visibly bristled at the mention of Ryuuichi. "...but, and here's my problem with this, but have you actually talked to Ryuu-chan about this? Does he know?"

"He doesn't need to. He's...happy..._we're_ happy. It doesn't need to change for now."

Yoshihito resisted the urge to bang his head on the table, looking up at Hayato incredulously. Was the man being obtuse on purpose? But he said nothing, noting the pause in Hayato's words, the softening of his eyes as dark eyes turned away to look out onto the view of the city.

"Exactly. It doesn't need to change. I still don't get why you want me to search for a way where Morinomiya Company and Hebihara Conglomerate stay bound in case of your separation with Ryuu-chan."

"You don't get it, Usaida. Nothing lasts forever."

The other man's tone took Yoshihito aback. He remained silent. Hayato rarely showed vulnerability to him, but over the years he'd become one of the stubborn man's most trusted confidants. It was strange.

"Ryuu deserves...so much more," Hayato continue, rigid back to Yoshihito, hands in his pockets, "- -He's just too idiotically kind to see that right now. And what if he finally does? What if somewhere along the way he finally sees this has been a stupid idea all along and he doesn't have the option of an out anymore?"

"So what do you want to do?" prompted Yoshihito, not liking where this was going.

"I want to give Ryuu an out. A clear way out, Usaida. Before the six month period ends. I want it to be obligations free so he wouldn't feel guilty for the company or his grandmother."

"..."

"..."

"You love him." he said quietly, surprised that Hayato didn't even bother to deny it, the dark haired man only shrugging, glancing over his shoulder to look at Yoshihito and letting him see it himself. He felt extreme pride and honor at having been given the honor to know but also sympathy for the hardass kid he'd come to see as a friend.

"Kid, this isn't going to be easy."

"I know."

"Ryuu..."

"We've slept together. Fuck, I _know_, okay, Usaida? Trust me. Things can't get any more complicated than it already is."

The admission was surprising but he wisely kept silent, hoping that his choice of trusting cheapskate-granny wasn't an idiotic move and wouldn't complicate things further.

* * *

Hayato hadn't forgotten of course. It was just, it was just so _easy_ to pretend that the perfect gift of having Ryuu by his side would last forever, especially when Ryuu was fucking willing to touch him and be touched in return.

Still. He'd known everything was too good to be true. That his six months were almost up and Ryuu would find someone else to give those smiles to, those fond looks, sweet kisses, everything, everything Hayato had let himself believe could be his. But that was the thing. It couldn't be his, maybe it could for a while, while Ryuu let him, but not forever, never forever, not when Ryuu didn't love him the way Hayato loved Ryuu.

* * *

_"...trust me?"_

_"Always..."_

_The word was out before Ryuu thought on it and found he didn't care, found it completely true. He trusted Hayato absolutely._

Hayato was scheduled to leave again the day after the next for another business trip and they had mostly a day before either of them was free for the other.

It was only two nights before when they'd had sex for the first time. The memory made Ryuu tremble, aroused as he was in his state. He'd made sure to read up on the subject (and maybe watch a few very informative-um-erotic films), preparing himself mentally (they hadn't even gotten around to use the condoms during the first time, neither of them prepared yet) and Hayato had only gotten a dark lustful look in his eyes when Ryuu had faced him that morning and had explained his interest on trying it that night.

So here he was, hands clenching the sheets beneath him, elbows locked, Ryuu on all fours, naked, aroused.

They'd undressed together only moments before, neither of them taking their eyes of the other as shirts, then pants, then underwear were slowly stripped away, Ryuu almost shaking with nerves and embarrassment.

_He got too caught up with staring at Hayato openly when the other's own arousal came into view, large and heavy looking between the taller man's legs, Hayato not at all bashful, confident in the manner he stood and walked, body beautiful and magnificent. Ryuu's throat had gone dry immediately, frozen, a bit wide-eyed. It wasn't the first time he'd seen it but Hayato completely naked and hard but it was intimidating nonetheless._

_He continued staring before Hayato's voice snapped him back to reality, Hayato's voice, deep and rough sounding in the room, air suddenly heavy with heat._

_"On the bed, Ryuu."_

_Ryuu climbed in, red-faced as he awkwardly crawled toward the center, barely hearing Hayato's sharp intake of breath before Ryuu sat stiffly._

_He watched, all awareness pointed towards Hayato as the taller man strode towards the side of the bed, taking out the supplies, lips quirking at the condom packets Ryuu had taken out on their first time._

_Ryuu gulped as Hayato climbed in, the bed dipping under his weight. When he was close enough, Hayato leaned to capture Ryuu's lips, soft, tentative._

_Ryuu whimpered at the sensation, gentle, so gentle, Hayato's hand caressing his face then moving to run his fingers through Ryuu's hair, gripping softly, tilting Ryuu's head for a better angle, deepening the kiss. Warm lips slid against his and Ryuu opened his mouth in an unintended moan, Hayato taking the opportunity to access his mouth. The kiss intensified and it was only a moment before Ryuu was panting, moaning, body completely turned toward Hayato, hands gripping on strong shoulders before trailing fingers down the broad chest._

_It didn't take long for Ryuu to get completely aroused, whimpering again when Hayato took Ryuu's member in hand. Hayato breathing shakily as he pulled away from the kiss, pressing his forehead against Ryuu's._

_Then they were kissing again, all tongue and soft lips, and Ryuu felt like he was being devoured once more, Hayato as hungry as Ryuu for everything, everything._

_Ryuu scarcely noticed that he'd fallen on his back, too busy touching Hayato, trailing hands along sinewy muscle and kissing back eagerly, Hayato holding himself above Ryuu. The taller man bent, pressing wet kisses along Ryuu's jaw, his neck, pressing the flat of his tongue on Ryuu's nipple before sucking gently causing Ryuu to arch up to the sensation. When Hayato pulled back, Ryuu tried to chase after another kiss, Hayato letting out a desperate sound as he gently pulled away some more._

_"Turn around, Ryuu. On all fours."_

_It took a moment for Ryuu to register the words, Hayato sounding almost as wrecked as Ryuu felt. He obeyed but not before sneaking another kiss, earning a breathless chuckle from Hayato._

_"God, you're so beautiful, Ryuu. So perfect."_

Spreading his knees a bit farther apart, Ryuu felt nervousness and anticipation war within him, head craned back to watch as Hayato withdrew, moving behind Ryuu, lube and condom in hand.

Hayato caressed him, touching almost reverently, hands trailing up his arms then along his sides before running up and down the sides of Ryuu's thighs. Hayato's large palms felt like brands against his skin, hot, unbearably deliciously hot, blunt nails digging in but not too hard to hurt.

The hands massaged his shoulders before dragging down his back to grip Ryuu's hips momentarily, thumbs rubbing in circular motions, causing Ryuu to moan, all the while Hayato continued to mutter words that Ryuu was too far gone to focus on.

The hands went lower, massaging, and Ryuu would have pulled away in embarrassment but Hayato's hands felt too good to pull away from. He let out a startled sound when the hands spread his cheeks, Ryuu feeling infinitely grateful that he'd managed to do the necessary preparations in the shower earlier. The thumbs ran down his cleft while the palms kept him spread. The pads of the thumbs brushing teasingly against his entrance, Ryuu unable to keep a soft mewl from escaping his lips.

Then Hayato's hands pulled away to run up Ryuu's body once again, this time Hayato climbing completely above Ryuu, the hard length of his arousal brushing between Ryuu's thighs then behind Ryuu's balls, Ryuu trembling at the feel, every part of him completely aware of wherever they touched. Hayato pressing soft kisses along his shoulders, nipping, sucking, his chest pressing completely along Ryuu's back.

"Fuck...so fucking perfect, Ryuu."

He moaned in response, arching his back, Hayato's weight caging him in still, as Hayato's hands trailed down his front, fingers brushing teasingly against his nipples then navel then finding Ryuu's member.

"So fucking delicious, Ryuu."

"Ha-haya-to"

"Shh- -steady..."

Ryuu's head felt heavy, breathing unevenly as Hayato continued to stroke him, caressing him, the air heavy with the scent of arousal, the delicious weight of Hayato bearing down on him, Ryuu's arms trembling in anticipation.

"It's alright, Ryuu. I'm here. I'm here."

Ryuu held himself up, feeling Hayato withdraw slightly to fumble behind him, Ryuu's own breathing sounding harsh in his own ears. There was the sound of a packet ripping, Hayato rolling on the condom, the taller man hissing behind Ryuu, Ryuu gasping when a finger, slick with cool lube slipped along his cheeks to press gently against his entrance, barely entering, then Hayato was leaning over him again, kissing Ryuu's neck and bare shoulders.

"...trust me?"

"Always..."

Then the finger pressed inside, slick, Ryuu breathing heavily to steady himself, adjusting to the strange feel of it. Hayato's fingers were bigger than Ryuu's and it felt completely different from Ryuu doing it himself, unable to control it.

The finger pressed deeper, both of them groaning in tandem. The finger fucking into him slowly, Hayato pressing against the soft walls. Ryuu barely registered Hayato's tight grip on his hip, focusing instead on relaxing around the invading digit before another entered, opening him up slowly, scissoring inside him, and picking up the pace as their breathing quickened.

"_Fuck_, Ryuu, so fucking tight, beautiful, perfect..." Hayato whispered, voice gravely as he continued to kiss Ryuu before pressing his forehead between Ryuu's shoulder blades, sounding shaky, control straining, "...later- -hah- -after...we're both going to get tested, fuck- -so I can fuck you without a condom, fuck, Ryuu- -want to feel- -"

A third one entered, the pain still undeniable but the pleasure to it was mounting, the fingers moving in and out, Ryuu instinctively pushing back, fucking himself on Hayato's fingers. He slumped forward, elbows giving out, feeling Hayato's arousal digging into the back of his thigh, an almost scream escaping him when Hayato hit a spot deep inside him, causing his vision to white out, his spine arching at the bolt of pleasure that ran through him.

He whimpered when Hayato pulled out his fingers, Ryuu's ass clenching on air, a strange empty feeling. Hayato was saying something but Ryuu couldn't focus, Hayato's weight and heat enfolding him, the grip on Ryuu's hip tightening, Hayato's front curved over Ryuu's back.

Then Hayato was pushing in, so painfully deliciously slow, a low groan rumbling in Hayato's chest that Ryuu felt more than heard, Ryuu gasping for breath, trying to relax and fight the urge to clench down. Too much, too much too soon, Hayato feeling incredibly large, the pain ratcheting up. Hayato's girth was considerably more than three fingers even if Hayato had prepped him thoroughly. Despite the press, Hayato inside but barely past the cockhead, Ryuu noticed Hayato's hand that held him up from completely crushing Ryuu was shaking, gripping the sheets as tight as Ryuu was. Ryuu inhaled sharply before pushing back, startling Hayato, Ryuu biting back a sob at the stretch and burn it took to take Hayato all in.

He was drugged with both the pain and the pleasure, feeling as if he were being split apart, Ryuu unable to get enough of it.

"_Ohgodohgodohgod, Ryuu, fuck, trying to kill me, so fucking perfect-_"

Ryuu shifted, twisting to face the side, Hayato sensing immediately what he wanted, bending down to capture Ryuu's lips, the kiss sloppy and uncoordinated because of the angle but it was intense just the same.

And then Hayato was moving, slowly, the shaky grip on Ryuu's hips painful. There were no more words, just their harsh breathing, groaning. The pain and pleasure warred within Ryuu, taking over completely of his senses. There was the slight burn of his entrance despite the lube, Hayato pushing in, pulling out, stuffing Ryuu completely. He did not hold back the scream when Hayato hit that perfect spot inside him, Ryuu pushing back wildly, Hayato scrabbling behind him to keep Ryuu steady.

Belatedly, he could feel Hayato kissing, nipping at the points that joined his neck and shoulders.

"Ha- -ah- -harder..." he managed to gasp out and then as if something had snapped, Hayato was fucking into him truly, forcing Ryuu down onto the mattress, Ryuu scrambling to find leverage but pinned down by Hayato's weight and the hard pace Hayato was keeping. Hayato spread him wider, Hayato knocking Ryuu's knees farther apart until Ryuu was all but lying flat, Hayato holding his hips up while he fucked into Ryuu, thrusting, the going getting easier as Ryuu's body fought to accommodate him.

There was no denying the lewd sounds that escaped Ryuu, an incoherent mess of _'Hayato's_ and _'ohgodohgodohgodyesyesharder'_, and then he was coming with barely a hand to his member, the orgasm ringing him thoroughly, toes curling, nails digging painfully into the sheets, back arching, his vision blacking out for a bit, and when he came to, Hayato was still rutting inside him, desperate frantic thrusts with no real rhythm. When Hayato came, his hard body shook above Ryuu before slumping down with a groan that made Ryuu's softening member twitch painfully. He was all wrung out, satiated for the moment as Hayato slid off of him, slumping beside Ryuu and pulling out gently, both of them hissing at the sensation, cock and ass sensitive from the activity. Hayato pulled away momentarily, tying up the used condom and flicking it somewhere by the bed, presumably a bin but Ryuu was too busy luxuriating in the afterglow, feeling boneless, and the effort to move barely meriting a thought as he lay on his front. He felt sticky and used and completely happy, grimacing a bit when Hayato pulled out the used sheet beneath him, wiping away what he could before tossing it to the foot of the bed, draping an arm around Ryuu.

Sleep called temptingly, a nice feeling of exhaustion running through his limbs, and Ryuu would've given in if not for the drowsy whispered 'love you' from somewhere behind him where he lay. He did not turn his head to face Hayato, closing his eyes and willing his breathing to calm, his heart clenching painfully. He would not read into those words too deep.

He. Would. Not.

Knowing he was saving himself from the heartbreak if he made himself believe it. When he heard Hayato's breathing even out, he turned to watch the taller man sleep, perfect, peaceful, before letting out a shaky quiet 'I love you too'.

He slept and despite the way his body felt light, boneless from the pleasure, his heart felt heavy as he curled himself up beside Hayato.

* * *

Hayato groaned, mind fuzzy as he woke slowly, feeling confused and aroused, pleasure buzzing through his limbs. When he finally came to, mind finally catching up with his body as he looked down, inhaling sharply at the sight of Ryuu's hot wet perfect mouth wrapped around his aching cock.

Definitely the best way to wake up, his somehow still functioning rational brain supplied, before his hips bucked up instinctively at the feel of Ryuu's tongue pressing gently against his slit. Okay, definitely _the _best way to wake up.

"Fuck, Ryuu, what the hell?!"

He gripped at the sheets, almost tearing them as Ryuu merely hummed in reply, the vibrations causing shocks of pleasure to travel throughout Hayato's body, green _green_ eyes looking up at Hayato before closing as Ryuu bobbed his head downward.

Oh, god, he was going to_ die_. Fucking _Ryuuichi_ was fucking _sucking _him off. He threw his head back, letting out an embarrassing whimper that he was going to forever deny making as Ryuu pulled up, sucking as he went, soft lips tightening around Hayato's cock, dragging upward. Mother_fucker_, he felt his balls tighten painfully, knowing he was close, so fucking close.

"Pull off, fuck, Ryuu, pull off, I'm going to- -fuck, Ryuu- -I'm gonna come." he warned before Ryuu pulled off, blinking up innocently, cheeks flushed (whether from the exertion or embarrassment, Hayato couldn't place) looking like fucking _sin itself_. Ryuu's hand that was gripping him continued to pump around him, nearly pushing him over the edge.

"You can come on my face if you want. I read that some guys like that."

And that was it for Hayato. _'Ohmigawd'_ thought Hayato before he came with a shout, the orgasm rocking him with earth shattering force, too shocked but mesmerized as he came messily, white spattering Ryuu.

"Who are you and what have you done to Ryuu?" he said, too shocked to be embarrassed by the way his own voice cracked a bit.

"I take it you liked that then?" Ryuu said, head cocking to the side with a thoughtful expression.

"My god, you- -" he started, not even bothering to keep the awe out of his voice.

"- -I'm starting to think you might be an incubus underneath that skin, Ryuu."

Ryuu just laughed, a soft delighted sound that did nothing to help make the warmth in Hayato's chest go away.

He felt slightly justified by the small 'eep' that escaped from Ryuu when he tackled the shorter man and pinned him to the mattress. If he was going to have to leave Ryuu for a few nights, it would be terribly remiss of him if he passed the opportunity to spend a whole day in bed with Ryuu, and from the sounds of it (_'oh__,__yes__-__hahHayatopleasepleaseyesyes'_), Ryuu wasn't averse to the idea either.

* * *

They had brunch later in the quaint alcove that served as a small dining area by their kitchens, relaxed and enjoying the companionable silence and easy conversation. Ryuu had been halfway through his tea, seated less comfortably than usual as he tried to keep his weight off of his rear, still a bit sore from the night's activities, when Hayato had brought up the subject of the 'wonderful' way Ryuu had employed to rouse him. Ryuu had sputtered, turning deep red. It had been his first time after all and he'd only had the videos and reading material as guides so he hadn't been too sure if he was doing things right, he confessed to Hayato.

That conversation somehow led to him straddling a desperate looking Hayato, Ryuu riding his cock with careless abandon, breaking a few china pieces but neither of them caring as Hayato had him stretched open and wanton, a never ending thread of curses escaping Hayato's lips in between kisses and bites.

They were both strong advocates of safe sex of course but the way Hayato's come trickled down the inside of Ryuu's thigh (it was a strange feeling and not entirely pleasant), Hayato's shirt hanging open, a few buttons missing and Ryuu's come splattered on both their stomachs, had him feeling that it had been worth it.

It had been a very memorable meal.

* * *

They do get tested later after they clean up, a short stop at a nearby clinic, and though it had been no surprise that they'd both turned out clean, Ryuu found himself lying on his back, spread open upon the car's leather-covered backseats, pants forgotten, stuffed somewhere on the car floor, as Hayato poured a copious amount of lube onto his hands, all of it in the name of celebration, a wicked grin on his lips that made Ryuu's heart stutter and his arousal spike.

He'd had to bite down on his hand to keep from being too loud as Hayato fucked into him enthusiastically over the backseats. It was cramped and not at all comfortable but Ryuu found he had no problem with public sex since he didn't hesitate for one moment. Or maybe it was because it was _Hayato_ doing what he was doing. Hayato with his pants bunched low enough to let his cock free, still clothed but looking wrecked as he pinned Ryuu beneath him, eyes half-lidded with pleasure as he swooped down every after thrust to kiss Ryuu deeply, tongue mimicking his cock as he pumped in and out Ryuu.

It was maddening. Ryuu loved it. This time Hayato came first with an expression on his face that Ryuu knew he would never forget, Hayato's face emblazoned onto his memory. It was enough to get him off with a muffled shout. God, Hayato better tip well when he brought the car to the cleaners because they were definitely doing that again.

* * *

Hayato had never had a relationship that lasted long enough to become truly exclusive or found a girl he wanted to settle down and have a family with, so he'd never tried opting out of a condom before. Now that he was, well, going to be fucking Ryuu for the next foreseeable future (and, by god, he was going to make sure he was the only one getting into Ryuu's pants and vice versa), barebacking was an adventure he was not going to be giving up soon, with Ryuu scrabbling for purchase underneath him, back arching beautifully, throat exposed, slender legs wrapping around Hayato's hips. The satisfaction of finishing inside Ryuu, marking the other completely as _Hayato's_...yup, he was definitely not going to get tired of it any time soon.

* * *

The two days they spent barely out of each other's sight had been glorious, had Hayato forgetting himself, forgetting to keep the words locked up in his heart, so he'd ended up pressing soft kisses and _'Iloveyou'_s to Ryuu's skin, arms wrapped around the other, almost clinging.

And when Ryuu had said the words back only a few hours before Hayato was set to leave, right before his climax, green eyes heavy with desire, something had broken inside Hayato, a wave of emotions so powerful, his world knocked of kilter. He knew Ryuu hadn't meant it in the way Hayato had wished, so fervently wished, but it was something and it was enough for the moment.

It also started him thinking, had him thinking about something he never allowed himself to think about before, the idea dogging him even long after he got onto the private jet that took him away from green green eyes that made him feel like he could move mountains.

Maybe, he could. He could. He would. Anything for those eyes. Anything for Ryuu.

* * *

"Um, Kashima-sama?"

"..."

"Excuse me, Kashima-sama."

"..."

"Oi, Kashima, don't be rude to Ushimaru-san!"

Yuki blushed in embarrassment, clutching her files against her chest. The Morinomiya employee who'd let her in had left immediately after shouting at the man who was supposed to be the current department's head. She watched as the redhead jolted out of his reverie, blinking up at Yuki with beautiful green eyes in surprise from behind his desk. She looked on in fascination as the man smiled, eyes crinkling up, and cheeks coloring a faint pink.

"I'm so sorry about that. I'm afraid I'm not quite myself today," he apologized, causing Yuki to shake her head furiously, wondering how it was even possible to feel this embarrassed and flustered around someone.

"Oh, and please leave out the honorific. It's quite embarrassing." he added sheepishly, this time standing up, walking around his desk with an outstretched hand. She took it tentatively, bowing slightly while doing so, his grip warm and gentle in hers.

She wasn't exactly the shy type and was good at socializing and making friends with men and women but facing the man she was going to be working with (who, inadvertently, had been a crush of hers during her college days) had her a bit speechless.

"I am Kashima Ryuuichi, nice meeting you, Ushimaru-san, was it? Hebihara-sama had someone call in earlier to say you were arriving today."

"A-ah, yes. Sorry. Ushimaru Yuki. Please take care of me."

He was nothing but courteous, graciously allowing her to settle, giving no indication of noticing her awkwardness around him if he did. After a few more pleasantries, they eventually got down to business. Yuki inhaled, preparing herself as she ran through her introduction in her mind, just like she'd rehearsed, tepidness momentarily forgotten.

"I will be representing Hebihara Conglomerate throughout the duration of this joint venture between our two companies and as a sign of good faith, Hebihara-sama himself has authorized me to use any and all resources that will be needed for the success of this venture," she started, proceeding to outline the various suppliers and outfitting the companies will be doing, the Sunshine Building serving as the preliminary base for whatever plans that had to be run through, Kashima sometimes politely cutting in with several questions and clarifications.

It was thrilling, really, to be the focus of someone like Kashima Ryuuichi's attention. Deep warm green eyes focused on Yuki, darting away occasionally to read through several papers that Yuki pointed out _when_ she pointed it out. The prospects of what she was assigned (and she still couldn't believe _she'd_ been the one assigned, that Hebihara-sama even knew who she was despite being a relatively newcomer), the responsibilities, the power, it gave her a rush and she managed to put her fluster to the back of her mind, speaking animatedly while Kashima listened on with rapt attention.

A phone ringing startled her in the middle of her nearing the end of the presentation, surprised that the time had passed so quickly, the sky growing dark to welcome evening. She quickly said her apologies to Kashima, already getting leave to call him what she wanted without any honorific (she still couldn't bring herself to stop calling him 'Kashima-kun' though, him being 'Kashima' only in her mind) as he fumbled about for his mobile phone.

She tried not to eavesdrop as she proceeded to pack up but it was difficult to ignore how the man's face had absolutely lit up with a different expression altogether on his face, cheeks pink and eyes looking off out onto the view from the glass windows, warm with something that was definitely not there only a moment ago.

It made her gut clench. Who was she kidding? Of course a man such as Kashima Ryuuichi wouldn't be available. There was no ring on either hand but she'd heard rumors of a secret wedding between two members from the two most powerful companies in Japan and arguably the entire east half of the globe. There had been that press-con a few days back but she'd been too busy running around to prepare for her presentation for Hebihara Taizou to get updated.

She couldn't catch anything from the conversation though, only a muttered 'miss you' and it had been enough to turn her ears pink, her face heating at the change in the tone of Kashima's voice.

She watched him out of the corner of her eye, his entire body language changing. It was still relaxed but different in a way she couldn't place, tone warm and voice almost tender. Kashima's previously polite yet honest smile with her earlier had brightened into something else entirely, chuckling lightly at something the person on the other end must have said. Talking to whoever the person was did incredible things to Kashima's presence which invariably led to Yuki feeling a bit at a loss.

Goodbyes were said but oddly enough, there was no 'I love you' or 'I love you too' that she'd been expecting to end the call though it was plain to see on Kashima's face. It was painful to see but she was still grateful for the opportunity to see a private side of him.

_'Pull yourself together, girl. You've been harboring a crush for the perfect man for years and I bet he's never even known you existed up to this day.'_

They ended up leaving the building together, Kashima offering to drive her which she graciously turned down. The night was warm, days promising hotter weather to come.

She continued watching as Kashima's car pulled away, only turning to find her way when the car disappeared from view, mind already running through their meeting a few minutes before, relishing each moment and the image of Kashima smiling at her.

* * *

Yoshihito returned home, feeling weightless, content, already imagining his totally awesome bed waiting for him with its equally awesome pillows and sheets. He was not expecting the mess that greeted him, chocolate wrappers and junk food everywhere, blinking as his phone rang with a message from Yukari informing him that Midori would be staying over. That explained the mess. It did not, however, explain why his apartment stank of confectionaries and the sobbing sounds that met him when he ventured further inside towards the living room.

He stood in surprise as a crying Midori flung herself at him, glittery mascara smudged around her eyes puffy from tears.

"I-I confessed and he-*hic* he said I was too young!"

He managed to make out the rest of the story later despite the hics and general incoherent sobbing, when he got her settled onto the couches, frowning thoughtfully.

Well, the Sawatari's weren't going to be happy and Yukari could get downright scary when it came to the kid. 'Oh, well' he thought with a sigh before grabbing a spoon of his own for the ice cream knowing he wasn't going to get away with sleeping on the conversation this time.

* * *

The ice clinked softly against the glass as Hayato swirled the scotch mindlessly, looking out the private jet's window. He knew he looked cool and unimpressed as he reclined against the plush leather seats but his mind was abuzz, his heart feeling like it could burst at any moment.

He was heading back to Japan, heading back home, and heading back to Ryuu. Fuck, he couldn't wait. It had taken him a week but he'd finally finished smoothing things down with one of their major subsidiaries based in China and he'd had time. He'd had time to think some things over. He'd had time to maybe freak out a bit and set his mind on risking a lot more than anything he'd ever tried risking before in his life.

It had taken replacing a few spineless cowards who were supposed to be running a company, cleaning up the clusterfuck of lawsuits that had cropped up and meeting a wise old man who knew a thing or two about regrets and how it weighed heavier than fear of the unknown.

That old wise man had come in the form of Inui who was in Hong Kong for a shoot. It had been...unsettling to say the least, when his half-brother/cousin had stormed into Hayato's hotel suit drunk and off the rocker. Hayato wasn't completely heartless so he hadn't kicked the other man to the curb. He did, however, relish getting a few pictures of Inui drunk and sending said pictures to a few journalist contacts he knew.

_"...y'know, I didn't even-*hic*-she was- -y'know? When I saw her, I was like, hooshit, and I knew, man, I knew she was-hic-the one, then turns out she's married an' her kid has a crush on me and shit you know?"_

The night had mostly been Inui talking while Hayato tried and failed to ignore him and his drunken fuckery. He couldn't help but feel bad for the guy though, despite how much he disliked him. Inui hadn't had the chance to get to know his mother, had a 'father' and an entire clan who expected so much. Even if he was the legitimate son and heir, he didn't have it any better than Hayato or Inomata. At least Hayato had had Shizuka to lean on, to run to, to say that it was going to be alright. Inui had learned how to cope on his own and had few friends outside the entertainment industry.

Then Inui had started talking about things like regretting never having stood up for himself or Taka and sometimes Hayato to the rest of the Hebihara family. Regretting that he'd never confessed to Yukari even if he knew he'd had no chance. It made Hayato realize that he'd had regrets of his own. A thousand that he'd never given himself the chance to dwell on. He knew it should have been a strength of some sort, not dwelling on his regrets.

The thing was, he didn't dwell because he never gave himself the chance to face them, never took risks that he'd deemed unnecessary. He didn't want to turn out like his mother who'd jumped at the chance of loving someone who she shouldn't have. But at least she'd taken the risk, and he knew, bone deep, despite whatever people said, he knew his mother didn't regret a thing. Didn't regret falling for Taizou twice and giving the man two sons.

The realization that he'd been another kind of coward all along had him indulging in a night of getting shitfaced drunk with Inui. It had been enlightening. The hangover had also been hell.

So, yeah, he was going to take a chance. If Ryuu would have him, Hayato was all too happy to try and see if Ryuu could love him the way Hayato loved Ryuu. Yeah, he was going to try and woo Ryuu. He was going to try and win him over. Win him over completely, like how Hayato was ass over teakettle in love with Ryuu.

He knew it wasn't going to be easy but he could try and if Ryuu truly said no to Hayato's feelings (oh, god, he was going to confess. How high-school girl was he going to get?) then at least Hayato wouldn't have any regrets in knowing that he'd tried. Yeah, he might die of heartbreak, but at least no regrets, rather than dying of heartbreak when Ryuu went to someone else and Hayato would never know if he really had a chance or not.

He finished his drink in one gulp, relishing the burn of the alcohol, eyes prickling in pain. Yeah, he was going to do this.

* * *

He didn't count on the quiet pink-haired girl who smiled too sweetly and blushed too prettily turning up though. The perfect girl for Ryuu.

Fuck his life.

* * *

The sound of his head getting acquainted with the table resounded in the empty dressing room.

After having gotten back to Japan (_and_ long after laughing his ass off when the great invincible genius Hayato-sama had puked his guts out in the toilet from a hangover, shoving Inui out of the way) he'd driven straight to their agency's latest shoot for a campaign about a new line of fragrance of some sort. He wouldn't be doing anything major since it was more Mamizuka Kousuke's brand than anything but he had to show up as some kind of show of solidarity or some shit his manager had spouted.

Apparently, Yukaricchi still wasn't talking to him and most of the people they worked with, the staff and producers, were all in a tizzy over the much idolized Sawatari Yukari-chan's strange mood, the woman being well-known for her pleasant personality. Upsetting her was not the way to go.

Really, was it his fault that her kid suddenly decided to have a crush on him, of all people? Then fucking confess with big doe eyes looking hopeful? He knew that the news of him letting Midori-chan down gently would reach her parents soon but he hadn't anticipated the call from Usaida pretty much laughing hysterically over the phone. Fucking nosy lawyer-slash-all around babysitter-slash-somebody who knew everybody and everything because of their fucking kids.

All though he relished each and every interaction he had with his beloved Yukaricchi, the day she'd stormed his apartment, cheeks puffed out in some sort of fish pout was not a day he would remember fondly. And now, he was confined to their joint dressing room for the duration of the shoot, Kousuke advising him to stay away for the mean time.

And then there was Yukaricchi's kid. Midori. She was a sweet kid, had her mother's looks and pleading eyes but, yeah, if he were some sort of sick-o who hit on middle-school girls, he might've jumped at the chance. He was 27 and she was like, what? 14? 15? Yeah, no. 'No' in big bold letters.

Inui left earlier than the rest, avoiding his manager, Kousuke and Yukaricchi. He ended up driving around for a while before finding himself in front of a quaint coffee shop that was called 'Lucky Siblings'. Strange name. Checking his phone for messages, the sky already dark and moody, he did a double take when he saw what looked like Hayato's car parked by the curb. Huh.

* * *

**I am so incredibly sorry for the lateness of this. Hopefully the next chapter will be done quicker. Yuki has entered the picture and I've got some things planned for our dear Ryuuichi and Hayato. There is a huge chance of there being some [maybe] dub-con/angry sex a-happening next chapter. BTW, this might have Yuki/Maria ****l**ater on in the story due to some things happening in the manga but I can't rea**l****l**y be sure. Depends if I get to finish it the way I want it to go.


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